True Angel
by Innortal
Summary: We all know Gendo used Rei as his key to control Third Impact. But what if he had used Shinji first with Adam's DNA. Here is what could have happened. Chapter 1 now redone.
1. Arrival of the Third V2

**Chapter 1**

**Arrival of the Thirds**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

It was to be his greatest achievement, his greatest accomplishment; and it would return his beloved Yui to him.

And ... it had failed.

Gendo Ikari threw the test results across the room, the papers flying in all directions.

He had been giving his son injections of the samples of Adam that he had, hoping to create a new life form that would be able to influence Third Impact. If nothing else, the boy would be able to force Unit 01 to release Yui back into the world, perhaps even seeing the boy as a better soul to merge with than a normal and plain human woman.

But the results were all the same: no change in the subjects DNA profile to indicate assimilation of the Angel DNA.

After a month, if anything, he should have seen at least one new gene sequence, but nothing ever came of it, and he had no more samples of Adam to use.

The boy had cost him precious time, even more precious resources. All the boy did was whine about how the tests hurt, how he missed his mother, how he felt fine and didn't need any more shots.

He had kept the man from seeing his beloved wife returned to him.

And now, the man realized that at the moment, his son was useless to him.

He picked up the phone, disgusted that his son could not prove useful to his goals. If Shinji could not help return Yui, then the boy needed to be sent away, so he could not cause anymore distractions.

It wasn't like Shinji would ever have any use to him.

* * *

The two guardians of Shinji Ikari stood in amazement. Moments earlier, they had to break the news to the small boy that his father wasn't coming to get him, which then led to him being told that he was left in their care ... permanently.

Shinji just started to get mad. The man had made him suffer, put him through hell, treated him like a leper.

And now ... he tossed him aside as if he was garbage, as if his mere presence was offensive.

Finally, the small child could stand no more; no more attachment to the man who was once called Dad, no more pain of the remaining family he had left since...

Shinji began to glow a golden color, the wind seeming to whip his hair around, before his shirt ripped in his back where two white wings sprouted; growls emanating from the young boy's tiny throat.

The two guardians stood back, almost fearful that their newest charge might attack them in his father's place; a fear all messengers had when they were asked to deliver bad news.

But Shinji didn't. He just sank to his knees, his face falling from extreme rage to fear, and finally depression, as tears began to cascade off his face.

Their earlier fears forgotten, they ran to the boy, embracing him.

"Why?" cried out Shinji. "Why doesn't he love me? Why did Mommy have to go? Why is this all happening?"

Sadly, they could produce no answers, just try and comfort the now abandoned child and hope that for the moment, it could be enough.

They knew better than to tell Shinji's father about this: his wings and the golden glow, not the cries of pain and abandonment.

The child had already told them the stories of his last month with his father: the injections, the samples, the constant tests. They would never subject the boy to that ever again. It was only due to the man's position that they didn't report the flagrant child abuse the young Ikari had been subjected to.

If he ever found out about what had just occurred to Shinji, the boy would be back in that same lab in all likelihood, undergoing more tests.

If luck wasn't with him, one of those would be a test that Shinji would never come back from.

As time went on, they learned more about Shinji's gift. The wings at first only came out when Shinji expressed or withheld extreme levels of emotion, anger being the emotion that first triggered them. Even if he remained calm, the wings would occasionally force themselves out.

But like every muscle, practice allowed him to keep them in longer.

He was home schooled for two years as he learned a cool demeanor and the necessary "muscle" control to keep the wings hidden, eventually gaining enough control over them so he could use them consciously. After he could summon them or put them away with a thought, he entered the public school system, but found himself unable to make many friends with his cold emotional state. It seemed he preferred the calm mood even when he didn't need to worry about a severe emotion revealing his secret.

Nobody seemed to like the quiet kid.

Which suited Shinji just fine; quiet kids were often left alone.

Those that teased him ... learned that they also kept to themselves for a reason, and didn't take kindly to others attacking them.

But of course, his guardians knew better. They knew Shinji would need to learn how to deal with people. Staying inside a shell would lead him only to more pain and suffering.

They felt he had had enough of that.

So they kept him busy, constantly challenging his mind with facts and math, and challenging his body with whatever dojos were in the area. They even purchased a sword for the child, which he began to always carry at his side... when allowed by the people he needed to visit. His shirts were always altered to have slits in the back, so he could always walk around the house with his wings out—he said they hurt after being inside for too long. Working that muscle had enabled him to keep them in for hours, but even a muscle like that needed to relax once in a while.

But Shinji never failed to surprise them. Even when Mrs. Tombuki—his female guardian—said Shinji resembled an angel with his wings out, he denied he was an angel. "I can't be an angel, I'm atheist."

Imagine, you were the proof that the Judeo-Christian beliefs had some validity; you were living, breathing, often flying proof that those views held truth, and you didn't believe in them.

His reason: all he saw himself as was a guy with wings, nothing more, and never less.

Besides, in Shinji's mind, there was no God.

How could any caring God allow all that had happened not only to him, but to the world at large?

No, for Shinji, God didn't exist, and he'd only trust himself and those that had earned his trust to support him.

It warmed their hearts that Shinji always seemed to keep his ego and self grounded, never becoming a bully with his skills and abilities. You never met a kinder soul, but you also never met someone who would defend themselves and others with such ruthlessness.

The child always called them Mother and Father; always respected them. If he disagreed with them, he argued with a clear logic and relented when their points were validated beyond what he could reject. He was the perfect son, which any family—any normal family—would love to have him in.

But all good things…

* * *

_In the Year 2015 A.D..._

A lone goliath swam through the water, military aircraft following it. It passed constructs of man: buildings, cities, all washed in the sea.

It had no cares for such things. All it knew was that it had a purpose, a calling.

And the calling demanded that it go forward.

And nothing would stop it from completing its design.

* * *

Misato turned off the radio, tired of hearing the alert about the State of Emergency. She knew why it was occurring, which placed her leagues ahead of many of those scared people who were currently filling the shelters of Tokyo-3, Tokyo-2, and much of the area between them and the UN Blockade.

The enemy had arrived.

Of course, normally and by most standard operating procedures, she should be back at HQ, at her post, and preparing to engage the enemy when it got past the UN.

She knew it would, it wasn't a question of if. Only the old guard inside the UN still believed that their weapons would work the best against the enemy.

In truth, their weapons would be about as effective as fleabites against an elephant.

But she had other problems.

She was late.

"Why did I have to lose him now? Christ, why at a time like this?" she asked, as she studied the navigation map on a LCD display to the left of her steering wheel.

It was supposed to be a simple job: fetch the Third Child when he arrived at Tokyo-2 via the mass transit rail system.

Of course, everything that could have gone wrong did, making her question why God hated her so.

First she had overslept—though she could hardly be blamed for sleeping off so much alcohol. PenPen had challenged her to a drinking contest—at least that was what she believed—and she could not back down.

Then the enemy had picked today to arrive.

Of course, if she had just mailed out the letter for him to arrive earlier, then she might not be in this situation.

But she decided to worry about that later.

* * *

In Tokyo-2, a boy was left confused, and with growing anger.

"**Due to the special emergency, all lines are currently unavailable."**

Shinji hung up the phone, tired of listening to the operator talk about the emergency. "If you would tell me something useful, like where to go, that might be a good idea."

Sighing Shinji turned away from the phone. "Once again, bureaucracy proves that common sense is always the first thing lost in government."

Not that he needed to be told that the emergency was very real, he could sense the dark force moving towards him, slowly. Pushing his hearing, he could make out the sounds of a battle in the distance. "Great, what'd the old man send for me for; to use me as bait?"

"I shouldn't have come at all," he mused. In his opinion, the only reason he had come was to beat the living hell out of his genetic father. After being ignored for so long, seeing him only at his Mother's grave marker once a year on the anniversary of her death, Shinji had no love for the man.

Hate? Burning, all consuming rage? A wish to see him placed in a room where Shinji could beat the hell out of him at any moment of his choosing at any time he wished as often as he liked?

Those were his current feelings for the man who dared request his presence.

"The bastard better be dying; that's all I got to say."

Taking out the picture that he had been sent, he reread the message, checking his watch to make certain—for the eleventh time—that he was not early or severely late. "Nope, she's late. I guess I won't be meeting her." He put the picture away, not bothering to stare too much at it. Sure, he would admit the girl was nice looking. But that meant little to him. Unless she had the completing parts to that package: a brain, he wasn't going to go after her.

He laughed a little at that. _As if I would go after any girl. _All of his friends had been ruled by their hormones, thinking him weird that he didn't drool after every girl who showed some degree of cleavage. The point was he wasn't ruled by his hormones, he preferred someone who would complete him, like his Father and Mother completed each other.

Besides, if she acted like that to someone his age; what type of morals did this woman live by?

_Bet she's a drunken woman with a bad relationship in her past, and seeks the affection of total strangers._

* * *

Misato sneezed, and felt a burning desire to hit something.

* * *

"I better go find a shelter," he said, hoping that there were some signs of where to go still about. While those routes were usually marked, one never knew how many morons would see such signs and think, "Hey, this'll look good in my room."

Sensing something to his right, he turned to see a girl with a school uniform standing in the street, staring at him. She didn't look like your normal Japanese girl, in the fact her skin was pale, almost as if it was pure white as snow; her hair a light blue that looked like the sky, but lighter.

But what got him the most were her eyes; blood red. _Albino? _

_No, the hair is wrong. That is just weird? Wonder what her story is?_

By far, Shinji was used to being an outsider, despite the friends he had made later on in his short life.

But, he suspected that this girl's story was a doozy... if she wasn't a ghost or something.

She didn't…feel…normal to him, disappearing after he blinked his eyes. Ignoring the squawking birds, he extended his senses to try and locate her again, but to no avail. Her presence was just... gone.

Shinji quickly slapped his hands to his ears, trying to block out the sound of a large explosion, his mind refocusing on the earlier energy he had felt and ignoring the blue haired girl and where she had disappeared to. As the ground shook violently, he turned around, spotting several military VTOLs flying backwards, followed by a lumbering giant with a long, mosquito-like nose. "Well, I guess I know what the dark energy was," Shinji muttered, straightening his stance.

His hand went for his sword, drawing it. He had a few distance attacks he might be able to use against it, but he had never faced…well, anything like whatever that was.

But he was surprised when the thing turned towards him, staring at him.

"Shit."

* * *

"**The unidentified target is still coming towards us,"** came the female voice over the intercom.

A male voice responded. "We've got it on visual; I'm putting it on the main screen."

Gendo stared at it. "It's been fifteen years, hasn't it?"

"Yes," said Sub Commander Fuyutsuki. "Now we know for certain. The Angels have returned."

"Sir, the Angel has stopped!" came the cry from on of the so-called bridge bunnies: Second Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba.

"See, I told you, Ikari. The military could handle these things, just watch and be amazed." The three generals sat at their table, smoking heavily at the thrill of a new battle, and with utmost confidence in their forces.

Gendo Ikari sat at his desk, hands folded in front of him. "We've waited for them for fifteen years. What is fifteen more minutes, General?" _I would like to know though ... why did it stop._

* * *

Shinji held his ground as two missiles screamed over his head, curving to strike the colossus. The other helicopters began releasing their own payloads at it, all connecting with it.

Not that such a feat was hard or difficult in any way. The sheer size of the giant made missing it next to impossible.

But it stood there, undamaged as the wind blew the smoke away. Raising its arm, a beam shot out; smashing through a VTOL and sending it crashing next to Shinji, the blast as some of it exploded sending a near scorching wave of heat towards the boy, who merely ignored it as if it was a light summer breeze.

Shinji didn't bother heading to it to see if the pilot was alive, he could already feel that no life force was left inside; the man killed by the attack.

But Shinji had little time to make any comments about the man's death. Soon, the creature leapt into the air, causing the ground where it had once stood to blow outwards; his foot landing on the shattered VTOL and causing it to finish exploding whatever chemicals had failed to become unstable after the impact. Shinji erected a small field of his energy to protect himself, closing his eyes to protect them from the light of the blast.

_So, you came to me. Makes my job of killing you much easier._

It was then he felt a small life force—well, small compared to the thing standing in front of him. He opened his eyes to see a blue car, the woman from the picture inside it.

"I'm sorry," said the woman inside the car. She wore a black short dress without sleeves, dark sunglasses hiding her eyes. "Were you waiting long?"

He had to smile at that, quickly sheathing his sword and getting in, deciding discretion was better than facing the monster before him. He had no idea what it was; only that it seemed to have a weird field that resembled his in some manners.

Until he learned more about it, attacking head-on might be a stupid move for him to make. If this Katsuragi had some information on it, all the better he learn it before striking it.

Shinji heard the VTOLs begin to release another salvo as the woman began to try to drive away, trying to strike down the monster who had struck down their friend.

He extended his barrier again to protect her and the car as the missile debris fell around them. "Damn," he said, "gotta love the big city."

Misato looked at him as if he had gone mad.

* * *

"Sir, the Air Defense Force doesn't have the firepower to stop it. It is still on approach to Tokyo-3."

"**The target is still operational. It is still headed for Tokyo-3."**

The female voice responded after the male voice had finished, both being piped in from JSSDF HQ. **"The Air Defense Force doesn't have the firepower to stop it!"**

"Hit it with everything we've got!" yelled out General Kudo. "Mobilize all the units from Atsugi and scramble the squadrons from Iruma!"

"Forget about the budget!" cried out General Tanaka. "Destroy that thing at all costs!" he yelled out, snapping his pencil.

Gendo snorted slightly, but not loud enough for anyone to hear except for his Sub Commander. "I doubt they will be that free with funding when we are placed in charge."

"Commander Ikari, the MAGI have detected an unknown energy signature at the base of the Angel, currently moving away at high speed, signature unknown," said Lieutenant Maya Ibuki, her image popping up on his personal screen.

Gendo looked towards the screen with the tech on it, informing him of the new finding, listening half heartedly to the military personnel as they bitched about how strong the Angel was. "Catalog the signature and prepare to have it scanned for in the future, track it if possible."

"Aye, sir," she said, as the image disappeared.

His second in command spoke up. "Should we be worried about this, Ikari?"

"No," Gendo said, turning back to the military commanders. "We should prepare for them to play their final card."

He didn't have to wait long.

"That was a direct hit!" yelled out General Tanaka, slamming his fist on the table and spilling what little coffee he had remaining in his cup, as well as causing the cigarette ashes to leap out of the ashtray and onto the table.

"The tank battalion has been annihilated," said General Kudo, leaning back in his chair, his voice calm. "Guided missiles and artillery have no effect on it either."

General Tanaka lost his temper again, standing slightly and pounding the table. "Damn it! We gave it everything we've got, and we're not even touching it!"

Gendo shook his head from behind them, as Fuyutsuki looked on, asking him a question. "Is it protected by an AT Field?"

"Yes," said Gendo. "Conventional weapons have no effect on the Angels."

Back on the table used by the generals, a phone began to beep. Swiping his card, General Kudo picked it up.

"Yes sir, I understand. We'll execute the plan at once."

Gendo smiled, witnessing the military play its final trump card.

* * *

Misato was stretched across the seat of her car, watching the battle from afar, as she witnessed the small dots of military craft streak away from the Angel. Fear lanced through her as she could only think of one reason for the forces to break off like that, the VTOLs and aircraft flying off like the devil himself was after them. "Hey, wait a second. They're going to use an N2 mine!"

Pulling herself into the car quickly, she grabbed Shinji. "GET DOWN!" she screamed, as she threw her weight on top of Shinji to protect Shinji from the blast, but nearly slicing him with his own sword and stabbing herself as well, had Shinji not placed it between the door and his seat before her weight hit him.

He sighed as he felt her chest on his head. In other circumstances, he would have simply shaken his head at yet another situation with a woman he always seemed to end up in—which seemed to happen all too often for his taste, as it gave his female friends more ammunition to tease him with—before extending his field once again. He had never tested it against anything nearly as powerful as an N2 mine.

Well, he was about to learn something new, besides the fact that the woman's shirt smelled like beer and yes, they were real.

Soon, the wave of force and energy washed over them, reminding Shinji of a very important fact he had forgotten.

He forgot to anchor his field to the ground, thus allowing the car to be blown back as well.

But as he and Misato popped their heads out of the car, the wind whipping their hair back, he had to smile. "Cool."

* * *

In NERV HQ, the generals screamed out success as the monster was enveloped in the blast, gloating.

"We did it!" screamed General Tanaka.

Smirking, General Kudo turned to face the Commanders of NERV. "Sorry, but it looks like you won't be getting a shot at it.

The two said nothing, as the female voice once again spoke up over the intercom. **"Shockwave approaching."**

Gendo was more interested in the signal of the unknown entity that popped up as the shockwave began to approach it, much stronger than before. _It seems as if the new player is protecting itself._

_This is an unforeseen matter. We must learn about it soon, if we are to accurately adjust the scenario._

* * *

"Are you okay, Shinji?" asked Misato, after they extracted themselves from the car, the ground now bare dirt littered with holes and pits.

But the boy just stood beside her car, which was knocked on its side. "Sorry, ma'am, but I think your passenger side mirror is a total loss." His smile calmed her a little.

Shinji, however, was mentally cussing himself out. While his field had protected the car, he had forgotten to anchor it to the ground. The resulting shockwave from the N2 mine had tossed the car like a toy. _Damn, now I'll have to fix the car for her. I can't believe I made such a stupid mistake! _He turned towards the origin of the blast, still unnerved that the dark energy creature had survived.

"Hey, Shinji, let's get the car back on all four tires and get out of here!" Misato braced her back against the roof of the car, but stood back up as Shinji went around to the other side. She was about to scream at him for risking his life like that, when the car began to slowly lower to the ground. Her eyes grew large as she watched Shinji, holding the frame of the car, and lowering it with no effort.

He just turned towards her, smiling. "Should I drive, or do you wish to, Ms. Katsuragi?"

Misato shook her head, clearing out the surprise from her mind that this fourteen year old boy had lowered her sports car to the ground. "Just Misato is fine. "Thanks for... um... lowering my car for me. It's nice to finally have a bit of time to greet you, Shinji Ikari," she said, taking off her sunglasses.

"Well, if I get to call you your first name, you can call me mine." He made his way to the passenger side, sliding in through the open window as Misato finally got in her side.

* * *

"What is the target's status?" asked General Kudo.

"**We're unable to confirm due to all the EMP interference."**

General Tanaka snorted. "It must have been finished. You saw the size of the explosion."

"**Sensors restored,"** said the male voice.

As the image returned to the screen, the image now showing proved how truly strong the enemy was.

"**We've got an energy reading at the explosion's epicenter!"** cried out the female voice.

Gendo almost smiled as he watched the military commanders react to the fact that the Angel was still alive. He would have, had that energy signature not disappeared again. _Are you gone as well?_

"It can't be!" screamed Tanaka, as he stood up, slapping his hands on the table.

"**Visual display restored."**

And as the screen refocused, there it stood; still alive, if only slightly damaged. The remaining two generals stood as well, seeing the massive figure of the enemy still standing tall, the explosion's light and effects still around, making it look as if the monster had the sun to its back.

"That was our last resort," said Kudo, falling back into his seat, disbelief still on his face.

"No effect at all," muttered General Naga, who had been silent till this point.

"God damned demon!" spat out Tanaka, as he slammed his fist on the table again, sending the ashtray off the side and onto the floor. "It's a God damned demon!"

Gendo smiled. _At least my entertainment is good._

* * *

On the highway between Tokyo-2 and Tokyo-3, and kilometers away from the now recovering Third Angel, Misato drove quickly in her slightly damaged car, trying to get Shinji to the base in time to be of any use.

"Yes, don't worry about it," said Misato now on her car phone with NERV HQ. "His safety is my top priority, so could you get us a car train ready for us? The express one.

"Right.

"Well, I did volunteer to pick him up."

"And was an hour late," mumbled Shinji.

"And it is my duty to get him there," said Misato, acting as if she hadn't heard him. "See ya!"

Shinji stared out the window as Misato hung up the phone. He could sense that the dark being was weaker now, having taken some damage from the blast. _They leveled that much area just to cause so little damage to it! Idiots, my attacks at close range could have done that, and you wouldn't need to rebuild the area when I was finished!_

He turned towards the driver, Misato. He could feel the worry coming off her, but also some joy at the fact her car was still drivable, only the mirror on his side being damaged and that was only because he had to drop his field. He could feel that thing reaching out to him, trying to find him again. _It must be homing in on me somehow._

Misato, who had been worrying more about her damaged dress than the car or the enemy, turned towards him, seeing him stare out into the landscape, the glow from the N2 explosion still shining into the sky. "Quit worrying, Shinji. You're not as cute as I thought you were when you scowl like that."

He turned back towards her, seeing the warm smile on her face. _Well, at least she has a kind soul._ "I'm just a little concerned."

"Don't worry; I'm sure that thing will get stomped if that blast didn't finish it off."

"Oh, it's not that. I'm just worried that EMP from the N2 mine may have erased my saved games on my laptop." He laughed a little, trying to appear as if he was either unconcerned for the creature's current status, or just trying to appear as such. Quite frankly, he knew he couldn't tell her he was about one more surge of dark energy away from flying over to it and cutting it down to size.

"Sorry, I forgot; you're just a kid after all."

"I prefer to think I am merely young at heart," said Shinji. _I'd hate to see what she'd do if I asked why she wasn't as mature as she should be._

* * *

"As we predicted," said Fuyutsuki, "it is regenerating itself."

"If it couldn't, it wouldn't be a practical autonomous invasion weapon," said Gendo, staring at the real time image of the Angel, the image focused on the new head of it, as the one and damaged one seemed to be melting into its chest.

Everyone gasped as a beam shot from the Angel, cutting the video feed.

Gendo smiled.

"Impressive, it appears it can even update its own operational functions," said Fuyutsuki.

"And ... it's also getting smarter. It will renew its assault any moment now."

The visual was soon restored, now being fed from a ground camera.

"And the unknown energy?" asked Fuyutsuki.

"We will have to wait and see on that measure."

* * *

"**The gates are now closing; please stand clear."**

"Welcome to NERV, Shinji; a secret organization under the control of the UN."

Shinji kept quiet that half his class in sixth grade had heard about NERV before midterms.

By the time he ended seventh grade, most of the students knew where it was, and another few said they had snuck into it; but those could have been rumors spread by boys trying to look cool, or had family members who gave them a quick tour.

Shinji, however, didn't really care what they did. "So, my old man works here."

"Yep, do you know what he does?"

Shinji leaned back into the seat, fingering the hilt of his sword. "Probably pretends he's God, acts like he is in control of everything, and is generally a pompous jerk with no emotions whatsoever." He didn't tell about whatever propaganda had been fed to his guardians or himself; claiming that Gendo Ikari's work was for the safety of the human race.

Shinji found such ideals false, since they came from people who would throw away the very tenets that defined the best in humanity to do so.

Misato could only blink. First, the boy had ignored her flirtations, which she wasn't sure if that confused her or upset her that she couldn't get the attention of a fourteen year old boy who should drool over the body she had. Then, he as much as said he hated his father while playing with his sword.

Normally, she could use such an opportunity to make a sexual joke at his expense. But ... now didn't seem like the time to do so.

Shinji appeared to only have hate for his Father, no emotional attachment whatsoever to the man. Truthfully, she was a little envious that he could do such. She just shook her head again. She would work on this later.

Assuming that the kid didn't go crazy and kill everyone first.

* * *

General Naga placed his phone back on its cradle, staring down at Gendo Ikari. It burned him to no end that he was being forced to release command of the operation and the battle to this man, a man the General could tell was of ill-repute, of questionable character.

But the people in charge above him had made the decision, and as a soldier, no matter how stupid he thought the decision was, he would follow through. "From this point forward, command of this operation will be entrusted to you. Show us that you are capable!"

"Yes, sir," said Gendo, nearly emotionless.

"Mr. Ikari, we must admit that our weapons have no effect on the target.

"But, are you certain you can beat these things?"

Gendo adjusted his glasses, knowing it would further irritate the generals before him. "It's what NERV was created for."

Naga sighed. "We're all praying that you're correct," he said, hitting a button that lowered the men into another chamber, where they would be escorted to a car that would take them to an extraction point from Tokyo-3.

"The target is still stationary," said Maya.

"Our current ability to intercept is only seven-point-five percent," said Makoto.

"And the unknown energy source?" asked Gendo, not even turning to face them.

"It hasn't returned, sir," said Shigeru. "It was last projected to be heading in this direction."

Fuyutsuki sighed. "Even the UN forces are exhausted, Ikari. What are you going to do?"

Gendo turned around, his face with confidence barely registering in his eyes. "I intend to activate Unit 01."

Fuyutsuki blinked. "Unit 01? But we have no pilot. Even if we did, they need time to train, and I doubt the Angel will give us that."

Gendo turned back around. "That's not a problem. Another spare will be delivered soon."

* * *

"Are you taking me to my old man?"

She shook out of her stupor. "Yeah, I think so. You plan on killing him?"

Shinji kept staring forward, still fingering his sword hilt. "Maybe, I haven't quite decided. It depends on why he asked for me. Don't worry, if I do kill him, he'll be the only one I even injure."

Misato smiled, hoping he was merely joking. "Oh, did your dad send you an ID?"

Shinji reached into his pocket, pulling out a paper and handing it to her. Afterwards, he had a folder handed to him.

"Here, read this." Misato watched as he quietly took it and began leafing through the pages.

Shinji tried to contain his anger at what this meant. He had been sent for because his father needed him to do something, nothing more. _The old man loses a limb, just for that._

A light flooded the car, bringing Shinji from his dark thoughts towards the light. "A Geo-front, they actually built a Geo-front!"

Misato smiled, seeing Shinji finally get excited about something lifted her spirits a bit. "This is our secret base: NERV Headquarters. This place is the key to rebuilding our world. A fortress for all mankind."

Shinji's smile turned a little psychotic when he was turned so Misato couldn't see it. _And if I can do it; this place will be Gendo's grave._

* * *

Misato was depressed. She had been working here for many years, and yet while she would never admit that she got lost, she was even more upset that Shinji was leading her to where they needed to go. After half an hour, Shinji pointed out they had been by this way before. When she asked how he knew, he pointed to his sword, which was ten meters in front of them.

"Told you we were going around in circles."

Misato sulked, before glaring at him. "I take it back; you're not so cute anymore."

Shinji just shrugged. "I'll get you a compass for your birthday." He reached over, grabbing the map from her, and began to look it over, trying to figure out where they were. "Would it be that damned hard to put one of those little mall maps around here with a dot saying 'You Are Here'?"

Taking a guess, he pointed towards a hallway they hadn't taken before. "I think this way to the elevators."

Misato just sighed. "Where is Ritsuko when you need her?"

Shinji just sighed. "Maybe we should have had a guide waiting for us when we got off the train."

"I'm sorry that I'm just not that used to this place." Misato pasted a smile on her face. "And anyway, they make these systems to be used, you know."

"I know," said Shinji as he made yet another turn, finally knowing where they were on the map. "But I don't believe I have time for the tour at the moment."

* * *

"**Would the chairperson of Project E, Technical Department Division 1, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, please contact Captain Misato Katsuragi of Operations Division 1, immediately."**

Ritsuko sighed as she removed the swimsuit from her check of the systems based in the LCL tank beside her. "I don't believe it. She's gotten lost ... again."

* * *

"See," said Shinji," here's the elevator."

Misato grumbled a bit, muttering about how she could have done that as well, but the elevator opened, revealing a very angry Dr. Akagi, still in her swimsuit, and covered with her lab coat. "Um ... hiya, Ritsuko."

Ritsuko took a step forward, forcing the girl backwards, before speaking. "What are you doing, Captain Katsuragi? We don't have time for this. Aren't you aware that we're short on both time and manpower?"

Misato tried to look innocent, but the little kid act failed to work for someone nearing their thirties. "Sorry."

Ritsuko sighed again. _She really is immature. _"Is this the boy?"

"Yep," Misato rang out. "According to the Marduk report, he's the Third Child."

Ritsuko smiled. "I'm glad to meet you."

Shinji looked up from the map, finally committing it to memory and having spotted several areas that looked promising for secret passages and hidden rooms, when he spotted Ritsuko. "Sorry, but I might not be able to work here if swimwear is the standard dress code."

Misato cheered up as she looked at her friend. "Ritsuko, now why are you trying to seduce the Third Child by wearing something like that? Hmm?"

* * *

"Handle the rest of this," said Gendo, as the elevator platform he stood on descended into the floor.

Fuyutsuki sighed. "Their first meeting in three years." He remembered seeing the security footage of their last meeting; Shinji all but ignored Gendo's presence, as if the man wasn't even worthy of acknowledging anymore.

Kozo could understand that. They may have started out as family, but now ... they were nothing but strangers.

"Sub Commander," called out Makoto, interrupting Kozo's thoughts, "the target has begun moving again."

"Right, assume Battle Stations, Level One." _I just hope that Ikari can convince his son to at least try and activate Unit 01._

* * *

It was a while later—after Ritsuko had finished yelling at Misato for her comment—that they were on some elevator. Shinji just stood against the rails of the elevator they were on now while the two women talked about something called Unit 01. Whatever it was, it wasn't his major concern right now.

He was so focused on his own thoughts and the feeling of the dark source of energy moving towards him, that he missed seeing a giant hand outstretched in the red liquid behind him.

He could sense it was moving again. Its energy output was higher, but different. _It must evolve through battle. If you fail to kill it, it adapts and comes at you again. Hmm, it seems to have an energy center for its power source. Fairly close to the surface. Well, I have a target now. _

_But that field it puts up worries me. It feels like my own, so I might be able to use mine to negate it and pass through. If I can, I'll need to hit that spot on the first try. A fully powered Spirit Cut should do it. Now, how do I get to the surface to battle it?_

He was cut off his analyzing when the room went dark. His mind snapped to as he realized he had been walking on automatic, his memory telling him they had even moved him in a speed raft. _Damn, I need to pay more attention. Sensei would have had my ass for that._

As the lights came on, Shinji came face to face with a giant purple robot. "Um, I think I missed a page, this wasn't in the book."

Ritsuko looked at him. "You won't find this in the manual. This is mankind's ultimate humanoid robot, the first battle unit named Evangelion Unit 01. Built here in secret, it's mankind's last hope."

Shinji stared at the giant purple head in front of him, trying to both suppress the urge to giggle at the imagery his mind was making, and the several dozen jokes he could start telling at this moment. "So this is what my old man's been doing."

"Correct."

_Damn it, something's hiding people's presence around here!_ Shinji normally prided himself on never being surprised. But as he was concentrating so much on the dark energy, analyzing what he had learned, he failed to notice the gradual dimming his senses seemed to be experiencing, at least the ones that allowed him to sense others. He looked up to see his father standing in a tunnel above the huge machine.

"It's been a while." Gendo stared down at Shinji, using the same glare he always tried to use on the boy, hating the fact that the boy seemed to have no care whatsoever about how the man viewed him.

Shinji just smiled, his hands readying themselves to launch an attack at him, calculating how much of a jump he would need to pull off the robot's head to reach him. "Yeah, not long enough. So, what do you need me for now? More needles? More tests?"

"We're moving out." If Gendo had any reaction to what Shinji said, he offered no response.

Misato was almost livid. "But Unit 00 is still in cryo-stasis!"

Then it hit her. "Wait s second. You're planning on using Unit 01!"

Ritsuko turned to her. "There's no other way."

"But Rei can't even pilot it, can she?" Misato's eyes grew. "We've got no pilot!"

"One's just been delivered."

"Are you serious?"

Shinji turned towards Ritsuko, guessing exactly what Gendo had summoned him for: to be a pilot of the living embodiment of every penis joke in the world. "The owner's manual isn't included either. So exactly how do you expect me to pilot it? What, am I supposed to stay inside it and hope that thing gets scared?"

Misato was almost pleading now. "He's had no training. Even Rei took several months to synchronize with her EVA!"

"He just needs to sit in the seat, nothing more."

Shinji by now was rubbing his temples. "I assume someone here will first ask if I will do it first." He looked up towards his father, ignoring the bickering of the two women. "Old man, why'd you send for me?"

Gendo continued to stare at him, matching his son's impassive face. "You know exactly why."

Shinji forced a smile. "Because you're finally coming out of the closet?"

He ignored the insult. "No, because I have a use for you."

The smile disappeared from Shinji's face. "I'm not some damn automaton, old man. If you want a faithful little soldier, build one. I ain't your puppet, now or ever. Do I make myself clear?" His hand fell to the handle of his sword, the fingers clasping it, as if to prepare a strike against his foe.

The girls stopped their argument when he said this. But Gendo pressed on, his voice rising. "If you are going to pilot it, do it now, else leave."

Shinji just drew his sword. "Fine, you old bastard, tell me where the door is. And if you ask nicely, maybe I'll kill that demon for you."

The complex began to shake as Shinji felt the creature begin attacking, knowing only from the shockwave of its assault rather than the energy it released. He was shocked to hear his father saying that it must have sensed them here.

But Shinji held his ground, sword still poised, waiting for either directions to get out and kill it, or a chance to slay Gendo.

"Shinji," Ritsuko said, "we don't have time."

"Get into it," said Misato.

"I didn't come for this," Shinji spat out. "I came to gain answers, perhaps a pound of your worthless flesh, asshole." Shinji pointed his sword at Unit 01. "This is nothing to me, your plans mean nothing to me; **you** mean nothing to me, other than a target to test my blade's sharpness against."

But he ignored both women beside him, never moving his sight off his father. Something would die here tonight; he just wasn't certain who his first victim would be. He did notice when they walked off, Ritsuko saying something about reconfiguring Unit 01 for Rei.

It was then he felt it, someone was in a huge amount of pain. It had to be in such pain; otherwise he wouldn't be able to get a sense with whatever was interfering with his ability. Even now, he could feel it slowly dimming to his senses as well.

And then he saw her being wheeled in. She looked almost dead on the gurney, her eyes not looking anywhere but the ceiling, her body showing obvious signs of injury, her right eye bandaged. How or why she was in a small white suit that had 00 stenciled on it; he had no clue.

Slowly, she sat up, her breath coming faster, telling Shinji her ribs were injured as well, the wrapping he could see from under her arms where the suit failed to cover made him cringe, wondering how many were broken.

To him, she was inches away from Death claiming her life.

He felt his free hand forming a fist, his nails beginning to dig into his hand. _Damn him! Damn you, Gendo!_

But his thoughts were interrupted as the girl fell to the floor, too weak to even stand, but more from the severe blast that shook the complex. He ran to her, hoping to help her when another explosion shook the complex. He cast his eyes upward to see a beam wrenched lose falling towards them.

The next few seconds happened in a blur. Forgetting all thoughts, he released his wings as he dove for her, wrapping her protectively in his embrace, diverting power to create a field to defect the beam, only to have his sight obscured by a large purple hand. Only Ritsuko and Rei had missed his wings coming out from his back, and a few seconds later after she began wondering if the EVA was protecting Shinji, Ritsuko saw the wings.

_Might as well go for broke._ He placed one hand on Rei's forehead and the other gently on her stomach; soon both began glowing with a golden light. "Don't be scared, Rei. First I will heal you, and then I will kill that demon." No one made a move towards him, but he could hear someone telling his father that the pattern had been detected again in the base.

As the pain lessened, Rei opened her uncovered eye, looking at a boy with white wings on his back. "They are called Angels."

Shinji kept his eyes closed, concentrating on healing her. "That is an incorrect name. They seek to hurt people. Angels are believed to help humanity. Since these things are attacking to destroy and kill, the correct religious term would be demons or fallen angels."

"What are you?"

The light faded from his hands and he opened his eyes, staring deeply into her own exposed red eye. "I'm not quite certain, but I like to think I'm a good guy and a friend."

Shinji stood slowly, just now realizing how much energy he had just expended healing her, helping her to her feet as well. He was weakened and knew he didn't have the energy to kill the demon. That meant…

"Ritsuko, you have less then three minutes to tell me how to pilot Unit 01."

* * *

Shinji could hear the command staff still asking if he was an Angel or not, probably thinking he was one of those…things. He shook his head. Anger wouldn't help him now. That and this damn chair wasn't made to handle someone with wings, forcing him to lean forward.

He stayed silent, fuming, even as the LCL filled the plug, his mind not even realizing that he was now breathing it, as his rage was solely focused on killing the demon that dared to be called an Angel, and perhaps if he was lucky, his old man as well for daring to force his hand by hauling Rei out to force him into saving her from dying inside this machine.

"Don't worry, Shinji. Just relax and just try and feel the EVA out."

"Ritsuko, I'll need a little more info than that." Shinji had already closed his eyes, trying to sense a spirit in the robot. Not that he knew why, but he sensed that there was something more to Unit 01 than he had been told.

He wasn't shocked that he did, he was shocked when he could hear it speak to him.

"**Have faith in me, young one. Together, we shall take down the threat."**

"Passing the third layer, no problems." A tech in the control room was monitoring the pilot's linking with the EVA.

Gendo was back at his desk. "What is his sync rate?"

Ritsuko's eyes grew large. "Currently at 78 and rising."

Misato soon joined half the command staff in dropping their jaws to the floor. "WHAT! That's impossible."

Ritsuko's voice became almost a whisper. "Sync rate holding steady at 96.4. Unit 01 ready to launch." She turned back to face Misato. "We ... we can do this."

Gendo looked at the screen, his mind livid with the thoughts that his first project had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. He wanted to see what his first attempt was capable of. Already it was surpassing what Rei or even the Second Child had been able to do with their EVAs. Now, all that was left was this battle._ Let's see what use you have, Shinji. _"Launch!"

* * *

Omake #1:

As Rei came to, she saw the face of the man who had healed her, thinking instantly of one way to show how much she appreciated it. "PERVERT!" She summoned her mallet and drove the boy into the air, causing him to impact the side of the concrete bunker.

As Shinji fell into the liquid after the impact, he could only think of one thing: _Damn, uncute tomboy!_

* * *

Omake #2:

Shinji kept his eyes closed, concentrating on healing her. "That is an incorrect name. They seek to hurt people. Angels are believed to help humanity. Since these things are attacking to destroy and kill, the correct religious term would be demons or fallen angels."

"What are you?"

Shinji leaned down towards her, his eyes less than a foot from hers, his voice now dark and mysterious. "I'm Batman."

* * *

Omake #3:

"Don't worry, Shinji. Just relax and just try and feel the EVA out."

"I would, but the armors in the way. Hell, I can't even see if it has breasts."

"Shinji, I said feel it out, not feel it up. Damn pervert, just like his father." Ritsuko just shook her head. _Damn Ikaris, perverts, all of them._

* * *

What happened to the original Rei (Rei I):

Gendo: How was it?  
Rei: You were just like Superman.  
Gendo: Thank you. (smiling)  
Rei: Yes, faster than a speeding bullet.  
Gendo: (Snaps Rei's neck) Better make the next one the quiet type.

* * *

New Omake by Innortal:

A male voice responded. "We've got it on visual; I'm putting it on the main screen."

Gendo stared at it. "It's been fifteen years, hasn't it?"

"Yes," said Sub Commander Fuyutsuki. "Now we know for certain," he said, seeing the white Ford Bronco driving down the main highway. "OJ has returned."

* * *

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	2. New Home

**Chapter 2**

**New Home**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

"Are you ready, Shinji?"

Shinji was currently inside Unit 01, staring down the Angel. Despite his efforts, he could feel his anger welling up in him. _They call these…these things "angels"? I will not tolerate this!_ "I need a blade."

He felt something activate and turned his eyes slightly to his left, seeing the horn of his shoulder armor open, revealing a knife. Withdrawing it, he noted that the knife extended. "Well, not a katana, but it'll do."

He returned his full attention to the dark creature in front of him. He noted that its appearance had changed; its power stronger than before.

But Shinji also noted the power flowing through Unit 01 now. He felt linked to it somehow, almost as if it was his true body.

"Shinji, just…just concentrate on walking right now." Ritsuko tried to sound calm over the radio, but even an idiot could tell she was nervous, and not because of the Angel.

It was because of him.

He snorted. _They're still nervous about me, nervous that I am one of…them._ "Fuck walking, I want to make this thing pay for everything it's done." The Eva never did take the first step forward.

It leaped; knife ready to strike.

The Angel dodged to the side, bringing its arm up to deflect Shinji's swipe. The EVA landed, tumbling and righting itself, swinging its leg to catch the Angel.

Only to have its leg slam into the Angel's AT Field.

Shinji hopped back, feeling some pain from his leg. "Damn, I forgot the bastard could make that field like me. Rookie mistake. I'm better than that. I'M BETTER THAN YOU! YOU HEAR ME, YOU ASSHOLE!"

The Angel stood there, his arms raised; making no movement or sound towards the EVA, only the flowing reflection off its eyes let him know it was even alive.

"Okay, sunshine. Looks like it's on to Plan B." A sadistic smile crossed his face. "I love Plan B, it is always…messy."

* * *

Ritsuko yelled towards one of the techs. "What is the status of the damage to Unit 01's left leg?"

The nameless Tech quickly responded. "The unit has suffered moderate damage to the knee joint. It will be… Wait, the damage is decreasing, it…it is healing!"

Ritsuko brought the display up on her terminal, watching the damage levels decrease. _That shouldn't be possible! Only an EVA with an S2 unit could hope to repair itself like that. Could it be that boy?_ She turned to look up at Gendo, noticing that he almost appeared to be…smiling! _I bet you'll be expecting me once again to figure out what you've done._

She turned back to the battle, hearing Shinji's words about Plan B. She wasn't certain anymore who she wanted to win, or who she felt sorry for.

* * *

"Now, how are you able to repair yourself?" Shinji stared at the Angel. With the power it had, he knew that if he pushed it too far, it might self-destruct. After all, all bad guys had a self destruct feature.

At least, that was how the giant aliens and robots worked in those weird animes he watched.

"**It has a power that allows it to grow and adapt, repair itself with near infinite possibilities."**

Shinji continued to stare down the creature, feeling a tingle as he felt it try to size him up. "Can we use that? I mean, working with that stupid cable hooked up to use is proving…annoying." He hated the cable already, and it had only been attached for a few minutes. _It's throwing off my moves._

"**We would need to ingest it. Then it would be ours. But doing so would be bloody, and would not only require quickly ripping it from the Angel's body, but removing the mouth guards so that I might ingest it."**

"Would we become mindless, like it?" Shinji wasn't stupid. There had to be some catch, something that would make this plan a lame duck.

His stomach growled, reminding him not to use anymore food analogies.

"**No, we will be the same, just without the useless cable."**

Shinji just smiled. _God, I love Plan B!_

* * *

"Who the hell is he talking to?" Misato was also worried and frightened by the boy she had delivered here. He might be an angel, even if the MAGI were concretely informing them that while Shinji's abilities and energy were similar to an Angel's, they were far too different.

Of course, it was not helping her see him any differently now.

But then she noticed that someone was beside her. "Rei, what are you doing here?"

The pilot simply continued to stare at the screen, watching as the two giants still sized each other up. "I wish to see how well Pilot Ikari pilots his EVA."

"Um, Rei, what's your opinion of him?"

"He is well skilled with the EVA."

Misato almost screamed out loud, forgetting how emotionless the young girl was. "No, I mean do you think he will try and attack us once he's done with the Angel?"

Rei slowly moved her head, looking Misato directly in her eyes. "He said he is a good guy and a friend. He will protect us. I believe him." With that said, she turned back towards the projection. "It appears Pilot Ikari is ready to attack."

Thus, Misato turned back to watch the battle, hoping Rei's instincts were correct. But then a thought struck her. _Wait, he won't be staying with Gendo, they'd kill each other first. So where are they going to place him?_

* * *

The AT Field of Unit 01 expanded outward, clashing with the Angel's. When the fields began to weaken, Shinji launched himself, knife poised to draw first blood.

The Angel had been surprised at the speed, sending out his glowing beam to try and strike through the EVA.

But that is what Shinji had been hoping for and expecting. Using the progressive knife, he deflected the beam, while his free hand sunk deep into the flesh of the Angel.

Shinji smiled as his hand reared back, pulling the S2 unit of the Angel with it. He hopped back to have more ground, the Angel stumbled backwards with its hands now covering the gaping wound in its chest.

The knife dropped to the ground, cracking the pavement, as the now free hand went to the case covering the EVA's mouth, ripping it off. The EVA had a sick smile as it took the S2 unit into itself.

Shinji could swear he could taste the Angel's blood as the unit flowed into Unit 01. Pain went through him as the internals of Unit 01 shifted to accommodate and integrate the new hardware. _You forgot to mention this, didn't you!_

But the Angel was not without a fight. It saw that its enemy was weak, in an amount of pain as it tried to force a merger with its newly acquired power source. It knew it had a limited amount of time now, and a limited amount of power to do anything.

It made one important decision. It knew it would not have the energy to complete its task.

But it could eliminate the one who had stopped it.

It leapt towards the EVA, wrapping its frame around it.

Shortly afterwards, before Shinji could even begin to try and focus past the pain…the Angel self-destructed.

* * *

Shinji opened his eyes, finding a white ceiling above his head.

He wanted to move, wanted to comment on it, even wanted to try and curse at it, but his head was killing him. He could feel an IV in his arm, most likely feeding him whatever had returned his strength.

He slowly opened his eyes, trying to focus on the one thing he knew was there: the IV. It took several minutes for his eyes to regain their focus. _Shit, they must have used sedatives on me. Damn old man, he must have wanted to run some tests and make certain I didn't sit up and skin him alive. I am NOT SOME DAMN LAB RAT!_

But then the shame hit him, the shame he always felt when someone would discover his secret. _Like any of them care. They're all worried I'm going to kill them, just like that bastard!_

But then he realized something: his left side felt…warm. And his left arm was slightly numb.

He slowly turned to see a mop of blue hair situated on top of his shoulder. Below that he could make out the body of that Rei girl he had healed. From the way her aura was acting, she was asleep and dreaming, curled up against his body.

Well, he'd be damned if he interrupted her sleep.

He just wished he knew why she was sleeping next to him like this…in a hospital bed.

But he had more important things to think about than some weird girl asleep in his bed. He had to think about the battle he had survived.

* * *

_What happened?_

"**The Angel decided to try and take us out, along with itself."**

_Are we dead?_

"**No, we survive. You survive."**

_But you are injured. It hurt you very much. I should have been better. I was foolish._

"**Do not blame yourself, child. I failed to mention how you would be affected when we took the unit into ourselves. For that, I am sorry. It was never my intention to cause you any pain. But like this, you will feel what I feel."**

_Do you know why those things are attacking?_

"**A little. What I know boils down to that if they breach Central Dogma, all of humanity will end."**

_Well, that doesn't help much._

"**It is all that I know. I have chosen you to be my pilot. Will you help me protect humanity?"**

_That means I will have to work around…him. I want to kill him._

"**This may be a goal for now. But you know how he thinks. Would you rather deal with the devil you know?"**

_Fine then, but at least tell me why seem so familiar to me._

"**Rest now, child. I will explain when the time is right. For now, just call me…Reika."**

_Reika…Wild Fire. It suits you._

* * *

Shinji had finally dressed himself in his old clothes when Rei woke up. "You should be resting, Pilot Ikari."

Shinji just shook his head, smelling his clothes and still detecting the lingering odor of the LCL. _It smells too much like blood._ "I'm fine, Rei. It'll take more than a false Angel self-destructing to kill me. And please, call me Shinji."

He finished tying his shoes as Rei removed herself from the bed, smoothing out her clothes. He knew he wanted to ask her why she was so close to him, but knew she would tell when she was ready.

Shinji was uncertain why it had felt natural to him. He was even more uncertain when they left the room, his arm around her and her hugging his side.

* * *

Misato was watching the road, trying not to stare at her new charge now in the back seat with Rei. It wasn't that she hated him. He had saved the lives of everyone involved.

But he was so much like them…so much like the ones who took her father away.

But even Rei had told her he was safe, that he would protect her. Hell, the girl was leaning against him now. For some reason, when Shinji had asked if they could give her a lift home, she was unable to say no.

Maybe that was why she allowed him to be placed with her.

Her ward was staring out the window from the back seat, oddly with Rei at his side, still holding him like a life raft.

Shinji was thinking of the battle. He had no idea of what had happened to Reika, only a feeling that she was alive. _I was weak. That...that thing got me with a kamikaze attack that I should have avoided, pain or no pain._ He turned slightly to see Rei in his vision. _Why does she seem so close to me? Why is she so...so connected to me? Is it something my father did? Is she a second attempt at the hell he put me through?_

All three were on their way after a quick stop at Rei's apartment. Shinji had invited her to join them for dinner and discuss her times with NERV, hoping for another perspective about his father's organization.

It was the fact she had used the Third Child's first name that worried Misato the most. Rei was always seen as a quiet soul. For her to be this close to anyone was abnormal.

Of course, her day got even worse.

They arrived at Rei's apartment to find it leaning over, an apparent casualty of the shock wave from the destruction of the Third Angel. "It appears I will need a new place to stay until I can be reassigned a new place to live."

Misato made some calls, trying to see where they could house Rei, as well as acquire movers for her stuff not destroyed in the partial collapse of her apartment, and trying to see if repairs were possible or have her moved elsewhere.

By the time she turned back towards them, she saw Shinji leaping out of an open doorway, with several pieces of furniture strapped to his back, as well as several suitcases. "Shinji, what the hell are you doing! You could have been killed!" Oh yes, that would look good on her: allowing him to be killed while under her watch.

He simply scratched his head, smiling. "Well...um...Rei said she would have preferred her stuff to be moved with her...and Ritsuko said you had two extra rooms when she said I was to stay with you...so..."

Misato furrowed her brow. "So you took it upon yourself to go into a now condemned and dangerous place to get her clothing and furniture, carrying them all on your own, and risking your life. Oh and when were you planning on asking if she could stay with us?"

"Hey!" Shinji cried. "A building falling on me isn't going to kill me. I'd just go to full power and bust out. Besides, why couldn't she stay with us?" His face got teary-eyed, playing on everything he had seen in animes where the child got their way by nearly breaking down crying. "She...she has no where else to go. WAH! WHY DON'T YOU LIKE REI?"

Misato began to freak out, waving her hands. "No—no—no! I don't hate Rei; of course she can stay with us. I'll just have the movers arrive and drop her stuff at the apartment while we get some groceries for a party to celebrate the two of you moving in."

Shinji smiled as the tears vanished. "Wow, Misato, that's offal kind of you."

Rei bowed. "Thank you, Major Katsuragi. I will endeavor to not be a burden."

Misato sighed heavily as she turned around, dialing the movers to hurry and deliver Rei's things to her apartment. She just hoped Shinji would at least take them all off his back first.

* * *

"Misato, what exactly do you want for breakfast?"

She turned from pushing her buggy at the store, looking for her beer, when she heard Shinji call out. "Don't worry, I got us breakfast."

He came to her looking disdainfully in the cart. "This is all instant food. I figured since you were putting up with me, I could at least cook you some meals."

She smiled a little. "Sorry, but I only have instant. I don't have any pots or pans right now."

"I have taken care of that."

She turned to see Rei behind her, pushing a cart with a large amount of cookware. "Where did you find that?"

Rei tilted her head. "I believe it was Aisle 7."

Misato began to rub her temples. "And how exactly were you planning on paying for that?"

"Shinji said not to worry, as he had the funds for it."

Misato turned towards the boy, who was placing several large bottle of liquor in her cart; stuff even too strong for Misato on her worst days, as well as the very beer she had been looking for. "What?"

"How are you paying for this?"

"Well, I figured since my old man will have to be paying me, I figured I could afford to spend some of my college fund to set things up."

Misato blinked. "And...how do you have a college fund?"

"Hey, I didn't spend my time without saving. Hell, I had some good stocks going back home, as well as seasonal businesses to keep myself in shape. Hell, I did field work, lawn mowing, pet walking, house sitting, baby sitting, farming, and electrical work. Come to think of it, I could probably afford Ivy League with what I put away."

"And the liquor?"

"What, I can fight and die for humanity, but I can't get drunk?"

"Shinji, drinking will not help your piloting skills." Rei was now standing beside him.

He just laughed. "Well, my metabolism is a little quick. Besides, I could burn it off in an instant if needed. It just...just helps me relax a little." He handed Misato his ATM card. "Well, do we need anything else, besides what I need to make for breakfast? Rei, what do you prefer?"

"I do not like meat or animal products."

Shinji scratched his chin. "Um, is it okay if I eat some?"

"I will not ask you to stop. I simply will not partake of any dishes containing animal products."

"Oh, you're a vegan. Okay, I think I can make you something. I'll have to change the options for dinner tonight, though. Misato, what about you?"

She was already feeling the migraine approach. "Whatever is fine; just get some fish for Pen-Pen."

He nodded and left to get more food, never even asking who Pen-Pen was.

* * *

After making their way around the assorted boxes outside her door, Misato opened her apartment. "You'll have to forgive me; it might be a little...messy."

Shinji's jaw dropped as Rei remained expressionless. _This is a little messy!_ With a sigh, he pushed the two ladies back outside, after bringing in all of his and Rei's items. "Stay here, I'll clean it quickly." Before Misato could complain, he shut the door.

She was about to start banging on the door, when the window on the side opened up. She looked on in amazement as trash bags began to fly out, landing inside an open dumpster that was not only ten floors down, but nearly one hundred meters away. Soon, the sounds of a vacuum cleaner were heard, startling Misato, as she had no idea she owned one.

Finally, after three minutes, Shinji opened the door, bowing to the two women. "Sorry for the delay, please come in. I am about to start making dinner."

Rei went in and sat on a couch to wait for dinner, while Misato wondered through the apartment, looking at how clean and organized it was. _Shit, I bet he'll expect me to help keep it this way!_ She wondered down the hall, spotting that each of the doors now had a label. She opened her room door, staring in amazement at how clean it was; even the bed sheets were folded and made properly. She looked into the bathroom, seeing that not only were her undergarments gone, but the porcelain and the tub were spotless. She looked into Shinji's and Rei's room, nearly loosing her balance as she saw that not only was each room clean, but Shinji had organized them. _Who the fuck is he: Superman?_

She staggered back into the main room, looking into the kitchen. "Um, Shinji...where are my bras and panties that I hung up in the bathroom."

Without missing a beat as he was stirring something, he looked over the food he was preparing. "Your dresser, second drawer from the top, middle."

She needed a beer, and that was when she heard the unmistakable sound of one opening, to find Shinji holding it for her. She took it and went into the front room, before sitting down. _I...he...clean...cook..._ Misato was unable to form any coherent thoughts until Shinji informed them that dinner was ready.

She never did drink that beer.

* * *

Misato had to admit that Shinji was a wonderful cook. Hell, even Rei's meal looked appetizing to the Major. When she brought up the task of deciding chores, he simply said to help when they could, and he would take care of all of it.

When Pen-Pen had returned from the bathroom, she had expected some weird questions from her new house guests.

Instead, all Shinji did was hand him a plate with several freshly cooked fish on it, a beer, and opened the door to his room.

Finally, he offered to let Rei shower first. She accepted and when the shower was heard running, he turned to Misato. "Um, is it okay if I let my wings out? They're beginning to itch."

Misato simply waved for him to do so, already feeling a slight buzz from her fifth beer. She watched as he sighed, as the white wings she had seen several days before began to flow out of his back. "Wow."

He smiled as the itching stopped. "If I keep them hidden for too long, they begin to get very...itchy." He looked at her. "Misato, why are you upset with me?"

"I ain't upset with you, Shinji. It...it's just weird, okay."

He looked to the side. "I ain't like those...things. I promised to protect you guys, and I'll do it. I ain't going to harm anyone. Well, maybe I'll harm Pops...a lot. But I won't harm anyone else."

Misato released a sigh. "Shinji...I...I'll try. I mean, I know you're a nice kid. But those wings...and the things you can do..."

His eyes narrowed. "Blame my old man for the wings. And for the things I can do, anyone could do them with enough practice. Hell, since that egotistical bastard dropped me off and left me, I've been training in every style of combat out there. My adopted parents made certain I was never bored, never stopped learning."

She looked up at him, balancing the now empty can on its bottom edge. "And how exactly did the Commander give you wings?"

Shinji just stared at his empty glass of water. "We all have demons, Misato. I...I just ain't ready to talk about mine, yet."

She nodded at that, her own demons were not ready for the light either, so she would cut him some more slack.

"Excuse me?"

The two turned to see Rei with a towel wrapped around her waist and one over her shoulders, covering her breasts. "The bath is free for the next person." She turned back towards Shinji, before walking over and touching his wings. Her voice was near a whisper as she spoke again. "They feel...nice." After that, she left, leaving two confused people.

Shinji said the only thing he could think of. "Wow, nice tattoo."

Misato blinked, turning back towards him. "Uh, what tattoo?"

He just smiled. "I would never have figured her for the type to get that."

Seeing as she wasn't going to get any answers, she went to go ask Rei.

Shinji merely smiled, before getting up and heading to take a shower, his stuff already placed in there when he was cleaning it. _I wonder how long before Misato realizes I just said that to get to use the bathroom next?_

* * *

Misato soaked in the tub, tempted to call Ritsuko and tell her how her day had gone, but decided against it. She was having trouble getting that image out of her head, seeing Unit 01 walk out of the blast, the armor falling to the sides.

That green soul-piercing eye...

The same eyes that Shinji looked at her with when the pulls him from the entry plug, before they faded back to their usual color.

_He ripped the S2 unit from the Angel, he...he survived the encounter, smiling as I held him, saying the demon was dead._ She shook her head. _But he...he won't hurt me. He said he would protect us all._

_Well, all except his father._

She sighed as she leaned her head back, looking at the ceiling. "Things are about to get more interesting."

* * *

Shinji lay on his back, his wings once again inside him. He knew that if need be, he would roll over in his sleep and let them out.

"Another unfamiliar ceiling. I seem to be seeing them more and more lately.

He turned as he heard his door open, spotting the figure of Rei enter his room, before shutting the door. She walked quietly across the floor, and slid under the covers, taking the same position she had done in the hospital. "Um, Rei, why are you in my bed?"

She didn't even look at him as she responded. "When I sleep near you, I dream. I...I like to dream."

_Well, that is innocent, except... _"Rei, why are you naked?"

"I always sleep nude." She stated each response without emotion. But she seemed to cuddle up to him a little more.

Shinji just shrugged as he tried to catch some sleep, putting away his thoughts of the day. He couldn't exactly ask her to change her habits. She seemed...a little more at peace near him, he had to admit. _I'll get her a t-shirt and boxers tomorrow. Misato might get the wrong idea if this keeps up._

With that, the two pilots fell asleep.

* * *

"Report."

Dr. Ritsuko Akagi stood in Gendo's large office, her results in hand. "I ran a full analysis of the blood samples, as well as those of the feathers we found after he healed Rei. I found no significant differences between those samples and what we had on file, aside from what was expected as he went through puberty."

Gendo's hands remained steepled. _So, Adam's DNA cannot be found, but its influence is unmistakable._ "How do you explain his...wings?"

She simple dropped her notes to her side. "I cannot. Even the wings show his base DNA pattern. What we are seeing is unknown."

"Continue your research with what we have. I want definitive answers as to why my son can do what he can, as quickly as possible."

"I understand." She left, not bothering to wait to be dismissed. She knew when Gendo wanted to be alone, and that was the vibe she was picking off him now.

Gendo, however, was puzzling over things. _Those drugs should have kept him out for a week. Instead, he woke up after three days, and the drugs no longer could affect him._

_Then we have Rei's sudden interest in him. Is this a side effect from using Lilith? Does she sense Adam within the boy?_

Gendo only had questions, questions which the Council and SEELE would want answers to.

He would have them. His work rested on that.

* * *

Omake #1:

Rei: Pilot Ikari will be residing with myself.

Ritsuko: I don't believe that will be necessary Rei, I'm sure we can find somewhere for him to stay.

Rei: I believe that you misunderstood Doctor Akagi.

Rei walks towards the good doctor (snort) and slams a crowbar into Ritsuko's hip. Causing the bottle blond to collapse, seeing as a crushed pelvis doesn't support her weight very well. Also causing the bridge crew to reconsider preconceived notions of how quiet and harmless the First Children is.

Rei: I was inferring that Pilot Ikari is mine. I will not take lightly any attempts by yourself to interfere with "my scenario" let this be a lesson to you.

Somewhere a megalomaniac is seriously reconsidering his plans.

* * *

Omake #2:

Misato was about to open Shinji's door to thank him for saving the city when she heard Rei's voice inside. Smiling, she decided to listen in.

"Are you certain, Rei?"

"Yes, Shinji. Though it does seem...bulky."

_What the hell are they doing in there?_

"Remember, Rei, be gentle with it, and it'll always be there for you."

"I know this, Shinji. This is just my first time doing something like this."

_OH MY GOD! THEY'RE HAVIN SEX! _Misato was torn between letting the pilots enjoy life, or being responsible and stopping them.

"It's almost there, Rei."

"Please hurry, Shinji. I do not wish to wait much longer."

"Don't do it, you two!" Misato barged in, but her face dropped as she saw the two pilots sitting on the bed, wearing clothes.

A clicking sound brought everyone back to reality. Shinji spoke up, handing his SDAT to Rei. "There you go, it finished rewinding. Now you can listen to that song I told you about." He turned to Misato. "What exactly shouldn't we be doing?"

"Nothing, just...forget it." Misato slowly left the room and shut the door. _I can't believe I thought they were having sex. Man, where's my mind at?_

Shinji just scratched his head. "Man, what's her problem?" He shrugged as he turned back to Rei. "Why did you want to listen to that song anyway?"

Rei simply put the headphones on her ears. "I wish to listen to music as I have sex, now disrobe, Shinji. I will not wait any longer."

"Okay, Rei."

"That is Mistress Rei to you, Slave."

* * *

Omake #3:

"Hey, I didn't spend my time without saving. Hell, I had some good stocks going back home, as well as seasonal businesses to keep myself in shape. Hell, I did field work, lawn mowing, pet walking, house sitting, baby sitting, farming, and electrical work. Come to think of it, I could probably afford Ivy League with what I put away."

"And the liquor?"

"If you are both sober, you will say no to my advances," Rei answered in an even voice.

"Who said I'd resist?" asked Shinji, trying to sound debonair.

"The alcohol is to insure you are not a minuteman, like Dr. Akagi says your father is like. The Klondike bars are for Misato."

The finally snapped Misato out of her stupor at Rei's earlier comment. "And how would a Klondike bar help in any advances towards me?"

Rei turned towards her. "Pen-Pen said you would do anything for a Klondike bar. I plan to test that theory tonight."

* * *

Omake #4:

"FIND HER!" Gendo bellowed as the techs ran around the room. Rei Ayamani was missing it seemed she had failed to show up earlier that day for a synch test. Gendo was miffed at that.

_Where the hell did she disappear too?_

Misato was racing back to her apartment. One thought on her mind. _Maybe Shinji knows where she is. They have been getting closer to each other._

She arrived home to hear a familiar voice scream out loud from Shinji's room. She absently noted Pen-Pen was wearing ear muffs and drinking a beer as she knocked Shinji's door open with her gun drawn.

Misato promptly passed out from a nosebleed at the site before her. Rei was currently "riding" Shinji; who apparently was currently passed out. The girl looked at the purple haired woman and snorted. "Knock next time"

* * *

Read and review. Let me know how you think it's going. 


	3. Efforts of Acceptance

**Chapter 3**

**Efforts of Acceptance**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

Rei slowly brought herself into the waking world, her hands still clinging to the sheets. Judging from the lack of heat, she was guessing Shinji had been awake for some time and most likely in the kitchen cooking breakfast if the smells were any indication.

"Dreams. I like to dream." She felt weird after waking up every time she dreamed. They made little sense to her; full of chaos, disorder, and jumbled images sometimes fusing.

It made little sense to her. She had often heard the people working at NERV discussing their dreams, and from a psychological standpoint, knew what dreams often were. But she had never had them.

"Not until I fell asleep near Shinji."

She got up and made her way to her room to prepare for the day. She had tests at NERV to get to. "Perhaps Shinji will be in my class at school tomorrow."

* * *

Shinji had just finished the touches for breakfast when Rei entered, taking the seat she had used yesterday. He smiled at her. "Good morning, Rei. Eat as much as you want."

As she sat down and began eating, Shinji worked on cleaning the dishes, knowing that his meal could wait a minute more.

Unfortunately, he had to contend with the Purple Blur.

Misato raced into the kitchen, grabbing her plate and wolfing down her food. Her outfit was hastily put on, showing that she more than likely had overslept.

She had no idea Shinji had set her clock an hour ahead of the rest of the house. "Sorry, but I gotta get to work like five minutes ago, thanks for the food, be good at school!"

Shinji stared at Misato finished her breakfast in a speed rivaled by most anime characters, before speeding out of the apartment. "Um, doesn't she know it's Sunday?"

Shinji just sighed, knowing she would be yelling at him when she realized she was actually early for work. He finished her dishes as he heard Rei thank him for the meal and go to finish getting ready.

His heart sank as he looked at the table to retrieve her dishes, and found that his own meal had been eaten as well, minus the eggs and bacon. He looked up, crying. "My precious morning pancakes, toast, cereal..."

It was the sound of another plate hitting the table that drew his attention.

"Pen-Pen, you ATE MY MEAL!"

Said penguin made a break for his room, only to be blocked by the winged human. "I am having breakfast." Shinji's smile became slightly maniacal. "I think I will have raw penguin."

"SQUAWK!"

* * *

Shinji sat inside the EVA, listening as Dr. Akagi began to question him about it, mentioning he should remember where things were, that the EVA normally ran off an umbilical cable.

_Not anymore._ His EVA, Reika: Unit 01, ran off an internal power supply, known as the S2 unit. But he didn't need to become cocky. Even with the S2 unit, his battle with the Third Angel had proven it was also a liability if damaged.

And soon, Dr. Akagi began the simulation, a visual of the former Angel appeared in the city, with Ritsuko telling him to take aim and fire.

Shinji nearly laughed out loud as he say the HUD try and begin to lock onto the Angel. He trusted his instincts more than a computer, but Reika said he needed to become familiarized with her systems should he ever need the knowledge in battle.

He fired off the first volley from his gun, watching as they missed the angel. "Too high and to the right." He waited as the computers adjusted, Ritsuko telling him to line up the sights in the center. _Reika, why are we doing this? I mean, you and I both know how accurate we can be?_

_**It is for them to feel better about our skills. Now try again, I believe I have corrected the error.**_

Shinji just sighed. _Why me?_ He continued to fire, grumbling about the absurdity of it all. "Hey, Ritsuko, unless these bullets go through an AT field, they are basically useless, right?"

"Um, that's not the point, Shinji."

"So I am just supposed to place the target in the center, pull the switch, and hope the Angel is kind enough to drop its AT filed so I can kill it?"

Ritsuko took a deep breath to calm her voice. "Just...just practice as is, okay?"

* * *

Maya looked up from her console. "Sempai, do you know why Shinji agreed to pilot again?"

Ritsuko looked as the EVA Unit 01 ran through the program. "Probably because for some reason, he hates the Angels more than his own father."

Misato just stared as the behemoth ran through its training. _Simple. Because he has a demon so dark, he will even work with the one he considers the devil to kill it._

* * *

"Target in the center, pull the switch." Shinji repeated that after every simulation Third Angel he killed. _Man, this has got to be the worst first person shooter game I've ever come across._

* * *

Morning came again, as Shinji awoke. After bathing and getting dressed, he made his rounds. He woke Rei up first, as she had requested to have that done so as to bathe before breakfast.

Shinji could tell she was a little distraught. His morning practice had taken him away, and that caused her dreams to fade. _Maybe if I leave a feather or two; that will help her. Wonder why I help her dream?_

_Well, at least she is wearing the nightshirt now._

As he knocked on Misato's door, he could hear the lady on the radio talking about driving conditions. _Lucky I don't drive._

"I just got back from night duty, Shinji. Could I just sleep?"

He smiled. "Sure, I'll leave you a snack in the fridge if you wake up before I get back."

She raised her hand from the blankets. "Oh, is today Thursday? Make certain you take out the burnable trash."

"Okay," he said as he closed the door. _I cleaned that room two days ago, and it's already dirty._

_Man, what a slob._

As he dropped off the trash, he and Rei left for school.

* * *

"Why are you staring at the cell phone for, Shinji-kun?"

He tore his thoughts from the phone Misato had given him to look at Rei. "Nothing, really. I'm just wondering who at my old school I should give the number to."

Rei, for some reason, felt...envy? Anger? "Why?"

"I promised them I would keep in touch. I didn't have that many friends, so I became close to those I did have. I would hate to lose that."

Rei nodded, wondering why she had felt...possessive, all of the sudden.

They arrived at class, Rei taking her seat by the window, directing her attention out it in deep thought, while Shinji took the seat behind her, opening his computer and beginning to read whatever online books the school system had the peaked his interest at the moment.

Hearing some noise, he saw a boy he learned was Kensuke Aida talking to the Class Representative. _Wonder what he did wrong?_

As a new guy came in, their talk switched over to the apparent lack of people in the classroom. _Can't really blame them. Big and green obviously wanted something here. You can bet his friends will be coming for it as well._

That forced Shinji to once again contemplate the null field in NERV. It deadened his senses and perceptions beyond the basic five. His range of sensing people and powers were cut considerably in NERV, with only the most intense feelings reaching him, and even then, they had to almost be upon him to notice.

And then there was Rei. She told him nothing about anything. Stuff he could use to get an idea of why he felt close to her was often restricted.

Sighing, he returned to his electronic book, the thoughts put away for now. He vowed to understand what was messing with him in NERV, why he felt connected to Rei.

As the teacher came in, he also vowed to figure out why the guy who had been talking to Kensuke appeared ready to kill him.

As the teacher droned on about stuff Shinji had learned in the third grade, his computer beeped at him. A message appeared, asking if he was the pilot.

He blinked, wondering why anyone would care if he was a pilot. Looking around, he spotted two girls who were waving at him, before resuming the message client, asking him to admit it. _Girls, always with the damn girls._

You see, Shinji was not lacking in popularity for shyness. When a few girls were walking by his home, they had seen him practicing, which led to them checking him out, as he didn't have a shirt on, and thankfully, he only let his wings out inside his home.

His Mother-guardian had referred to them as merely "checking the fresh meat"; he referred to it as holding back and losing to hormones.

He wasn't stupid by a long shot. He knew what they wanted: they wanted a hot boyfriend. The fact that he was smart was icing on the cake for most.

Sighing as they prompted him again for an answer, he sent the reply that yes, he was a pilot.

After all, what would admitting that hurt?

Boy, was he surprised two seconds later after he hit enter.

_Damn, didn't know everyone was on the same client board._

_And why the hell are there so many girls in this class?_

* * *

Shinji was walking away from the school. Rei had had cleaning duty, and had informed him that he should return home.

Actually, he wanted to, as the class was determined to get some answers out of him about Unit 01 and being a pilot.

Soon though, he was bent over backwards at fifty degrees from the standing position to avoid a fist to his face. "Nice aim, but your timing sucks."

As his attacked made to punch him again, Shinji brought up his feet, completing a back flip and kicking his attacker in the gut. Now, while he may not be allowed to bring his sword to school, and was currently trying to find a way around that, he was far from defenseless.

"Face me like a man!" cried out the attacker.

Shinji shook his head. _When the hell did I end up in a Ranma anime?_ "Why would I face you like a man, when you face me like a coward?"

"My name is Toji Suzuhara. And because of you and your EVA wrecking the city, my little sister got hurt." He pounded his left fist into his right palm. "I figure I owe you a severe beating for that."

Shinji smoothed out his shirt. "First, how was she being hurt my fault? Why wasn't she in a shelter?

"Two, if I hadn't stopped the big and ugly, not one damn person would be alive right now. So don't blame me because I had to do what I had to, to save your ungrateful ass.

"Third, if the only problem is that she's hurt, then where is she? I know some healing techniques that could regrow an arm in several uses."

"You think this is funny?" screamed Toji as he started trying to once again punch Shinji.

Shinji, however, was content to let the upset brother tire himself out first, and began to dance around his punches. "I was being honest. Anyone with enough training can do it, you just need someone with enough ki and training that can pull it off." He waited until Toji overextended himself, before wrapping his right hand around Toji's throat and lifting him off the ground.

Toji felt his anger change to fear as Shinji easily lifted him off the ground with a single hand, appearing to not even be straining under the larger kid's weight.

"Now, we can both calm down, and go heal your sister today, or I can head home and eat. This is totally up to you."

* * *

Shinji stifled a yawn while walking home, a grocery bag in hand. Toji's sister; Naru, had really been messed up when she was caught by the debris. And while she wasn't as bad off as Rei had been, she was still slowly dying.

Was being the keyword, as Shinji healed her, without releasing his wings, which meant he had far less energy available.

As such, he was tired, and wanted to get home, grab a meal, and leave his wings out till it was bedtime.

Unfortunately, his cell phone had other ideas.

* * *

Shinji stared at the satellite image of the Fourth Angel, once again wondering what had happened to the first two. "It's a party balloon."

_**It is still powerful!**_

Shinji leaned his head back. _The end of the world is going to be caused by a fucking purple people eater._

As the Unit 01 was launched, Shinji came face to face with the giant dildo shaped tentacle monster, emptying his clip into it. "Hey, Misato, I did the gun thing. And the tapeworm is still alive. Next brilliant idea?"

Quickly, Shinji jumped to the side as purple energy whips flew out of the smoke, slicing both his rifle and the catapult bay into pieces.

"Shinji, we're launching a spare rifle!" shouted Misato over the comm.

"And that will help...how?"

Shinji and Reika dodged the energy attacks. _Reika, try narrowing our AT field. If we can grab those whips, we can enjoy a new punching clown._

Unfortunately, the energy whips acted in one way differently than Shinji had accounted for: they had no wind resistance.

As the AT field barely kept the whips from bisecting him, they sent him into the air. _Reika, this day sucks._

_**I know, Shinji. I know.**_

* * *

As Shinji watched as Misato bitched out Kensuke and Toji, he looked as Unit 01 was loaded onto a transport truck. Unit 01 had been pierced in two places as Shinji made a near kamikaze run to breach the Angel's core with his progressive knife.

_Reika, will you be okay?_

Reika was silent though. The first attack from the Angel to connect had damaged the S2 power source and compromised main power. The backup had been enough to get the two classmates aboard, and finish the job.

Until Reika had achieved a functioning power link, she would be sleeping, trying to repair her S2 engine.

He placed his hand against his EVA, willing whatever power he could afford to spend into it, making certain no one saw as he let his wings out. If Toji and Kensuke hadn't been around, he would have done this inside the entry plug.

_**Thank...you...Shinji.**_

He smiled as his wings fell back inside him.

Man, he was really beginning to hate this place.

But, at least a possible new group of friends were safe.

In the end, maybe today hadn't been a total waste.

* * *

Omake by Innortal:

As the Third Angel neared the city, Gendo cursed his luck. Rei was unavailable, Unit 00 was in cryo-stasis, Unit 01 refused to activate, and Shinji was stuck in Kyoto-2 because security had thought his baking supply of oregano was actually marijuana.

"Release Fluffy."

The generals turned to him, as the bridge bunnies took in deep breathes.

"Ikari, what or who is Fluffy?"

Gendo steeped his fingers. "It is a cloned animal based on samples we recovered from the Cave of Caerbannog. After every test, we had to use the Type-VII N2 Mine: the Holy N2 Mines of Antioch, to kill it. It can only be used once, and then becomes too unstable to recapture. But you are welcome to try."

* * *

The Third Angel looked at the little white rabbit that had exited the small cage. Thinking it was nothing, it made a move to squash it and carry on with its task.

That was when the cute monster launched towards the Angel's throat.

* * *

The entire bridge complement watched as the Angel screamed before its head fell off, causing it to collapse to the ground. Soon, the glowing core turned dark, and the Angel was silent.

Fluffy soon appeared, and began to much on the Angel, as if it was a carrot.

"My God..."

"Such a terrible weapon..."

Gendo smiled. It looked like his budget would soon be improving...assuming they could get a Holy N2 mine out there to kill that damn rabbit so they could leave the building.


	4. Self Waltz

**Chapter 4**

**Self Waltz**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

Misato was brushing her teeth, not very unusual.

What was unusual was her male house guest. For the last three days, he had yet to leave the house.

She knew he was most likely depressed about her reactions after the battle. But, he had failed to obey her order to retreat. Instead—with two civilians inside the entry plug—he charged the Fourth Angel, piercing its core while getting pierced himself.

Repairs had been complete; Ritsuko had scheduled him for more sync tests to see if everything was functioning, including the repairs to the S2 engine. There were even rumors that Shinji would be inserted into Unit 00 to see if he could work his magic on it.

But...Shinji never left the apartment.

Rei left. She went to school, returned with their assignments, and carried on as normal. She still helped with the meals, sat with PenPen. She still slept in Shinji's room, though Misato was relatively certain sex was not occurring.

Sighing, she spit out the toothpaste, turning to the sound of the door opening. "Rei?"

The albino First Child stared at her, as if uncertain what to say. "Misato?"

When she had first moved in, the First Child had been stringent about calling her by her rank and last name, only changing with Shinji's patience more than her own. For Misato, both children seemed somewhat creepy to her. Rei was too quiet in her opinion.

Shinji? Those wings didn't help.

"Well, what is it, Rei?"

She could tell the child was struggling to speak, as if something was holding her back. But whatever was creating the impasse, was soon gone. "I believe Shinji-kun is quite ill."

Misato blinked. An illness would explain why he seemed off these last few days. "And what lead to this conclusion?"

"He has a current body temperature of 46.3 degrees Celsius (115.3 degrees Fahrenheit). Even for his unique physical makeup, I do not believe this is good for him."

Misato ran into his room, seeing him truly for the first time in a while.

He was still on his bed, only a pair of boxer shorts on. His wings were out, but looked—for lack of a better term—droopy. His body was covered in sweat, and a quick inspection of his sheets revealed that they were soaked. His breathing was labored, his eyes unfocused, his face flushed... He looked like hell, and his forehead felt like it.

Yes, she knew this was not good.

* * *

A call to NERV to inform them she was brining in Shinji for a medical emergency—the type where his true nature would be revealed otherwise—and they were on their way, a simple bed sheet hiding his wings. The only stop was at a convenience store to buy as many bags of ice that the backseat of her car would support.

Arriving at NERV, they went into the main transport, usually reserved for large cargo. It now served to get them to NERV Medical quicker.

Misato and Rei ran beside the doctors as they pushed Shinji's gurney, his form still laying on his stomach, his wings folded against his body, the remainders of the ice still on him.

"What the hell?" was Misato's quiet question as they entered the lab. She watched as the men picked Shinji up, and placed him in a standing cylinder filled with LCL, before sealing the top.

"Initiate coolant flow!" yelled Ritsuko. Several hisses later as pressurized fluids moved, a small amount of frost formed on the cylinder, only the waving of Shinji's hair even leant any idea that the fluids in the cylinder were moving.

Misato turned to her, silently asking what that was.

"It was a medical idea we had for pilots too injured. The LCL is specially treated to help in healing while the tank keeps them suspended, prevents further injury. We were going to use it to help in battle, but since it doesn't work with the EVAs too well...

"Anyway, when you called, we jury-rigged a coolant flow to chill it. Hopefully, it'll bring down his temperature. But it's doubtful." She pointed to the cylinder, as the frost was soon disappearing. "His body is heating the fluids almost as fast as we can cool it. We have some techs coming with a canister of Bakelite. If that doesn't keep him cool, nothing will."

Misato could only nod, now knowing how serious this was. If they were using Bakelite to cool down the tank, then even liquid nitrogen wouldn't help him now.

_What a second..._ "How did you—"

Ritsuko simply handed her a datapad. "Seems for the last few days, Unit 01 has been heating up as well. Judging from the reactions, I would say it's trying to burn out the S2 organ like a virus. We've been flooding the cage with Bakelite after the LCL started to boil. Hopefully, we can keep it from destroying the systems."

"Why not remove the organ?"

Ritsuko decided to light a cigarette, showing how stressful the day was quickly becoming. "Can't. When I said it's acting like an infection, I mean it. The fluids around the organ are corrosive now. Nothing we have can get near it. We just have to hope it destroys the organ on its own."

"And how does this relate to Shinji getting sick?"

"Simple. Best we can guess is that his...unique nature...has allowed him a closer bond to Unit 01, so he feels what it feels, even outside the entry plug."

Misato slumped into a chair.

"So until Unit 01 cools down and destroys the organ..."

"Shinji will have a large fever as well. What this will do to his brain is unknown. At the temperatures his body is at, a normal human would have already been reduced to a vegetable."

As Misato began to feel dejected for being unable to help Shinji, Rei could only stare at her companion inside the cylinder. _Get well, Shinji-kun._

* * *

Shinji could only stare as the men encircled him, their guns drawn; their uniforms completely black. "What do you want?"

The leader faced the nine-year-old boy. "You will come with us. If you resist, you will be terminated."

Shinji suppressed a growl. "I was told never to go with strangers."

The joke fell on deaf ears, as one of the men fired a shot.

Shinji appeared to blur, his sword being unsheathed, spinning to deflect the bullet back towards the attacker, hitting the assailant between the eyes.

Two more drew their knives, deciding to capture the kid in close range combat.

The growl returned, the anger returned, and Shinji blurred.

In under a minute, the group was no more, every member dead by either their own shots, or his blade.

Tears stained his face. "Why? Why did you attack me? Why did you want me?" He had killed, taken what could never be returned. He wanted to fall to his knees, his meal demanding to be released to the street.

But the buzzing of helicopters sounded, coming closer.

So the feelings of guilt were suppressed, the sadness hidden below a mask.

It appeared his sins were still not yet finished.

* * *

"Reika," came the whispered word from Shinji.

Rei blinked. "I do not know a Reika."

"Reika...is in...pain. It...hurts. Why does...it hurt?"

The two women turned towards Rei, her hand on the cylinder. "What was that, Rei-chan?" asked Misato.

"He said Reika. He said Reika is hurting."

Ritsuko looked towards her friend. "Who's Reika?"

* * *

Gendo and Fuyutsuki watched this through a monitor within Gendo's office.

"Wasn't that—"

"Yes," said Gendo. "That was Yui's nickname in college."

* * *

Shinji found his memories fragmenting, bubbling along the surface. Demons long since buried reared their heads.

**It does not belong.**

_Reika?_

**It does not belong. It must be removed.**

_Reika, what's going on?_

**It should not be here.**

_Reika? Why am I in pain? Why am I remembering pain?_

**It does not belong. It must be exterminated.**

_Reika, talk to me!_

**Be strong, Shinji.**

With that, he found himself within his memories again.

* * *

Shinji had spent seven days inside his room, barely eating, barely sleeping. His dreams had been plagued with the faces of the dying.

A man who had only moments before begged for his life, only to throw it away when he shot his pistol at Shinji...

The faces of the pilots as he took to the air, destroying them before they could land with more troops...

The sword stayed on its stand before him, blood still coating the blade.

Forty-seven. He had ended forty-seven lives that day; forty seven people who would not return to their lives, would not return to loved ones, and would not see tomorrow...

Forty-seven souls he had taken from this world. How was he supposed to feel?

"_Shinji, you did what you had to. Those men didn't care whether you lived or died."_

"_But it didn't mean I had to be like them!"_

"_Shinji, you have a great power within you, and there will be those who seek to use it for their own purposes. Do you think they would have stopped with you? No, they would have done whatever they needed to get you, and those types of people have no problems with using innocents to get you to bend to their wills._

"_Shinji, you are not responsible for the actions of others, only yourself. For now, be proud that those men won't be hurting any other people. Be respectful at what you have done, and remember this empty feeling. Killing is never easy, but all too often necessary. Just remember this feeling, because when it disappears, then you really have become them."_

Shinji slowly stood up, walking towards the sword. "It needs to be cleaned."

He would move on. Sadly, he knew this was one of those lessons his guardians told him about: one that changed who you were forever.

As his Father had done, another person had stolen more of his innocence.

* * *

Shinji found himself floating in ether, his form that of his present self, wings released, and clothes...missing.

"**You are not of me!"**

"Reika? No...you aren't Reika. Who are you?" he demanded.

"**You are of the Father, but not of our children."**

Shinji turned, trying to find the voice, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere. "Listen, I don't know who you are, but I already know for damned sure I don't like you."

"**You are not Lilum, nor are you of us."**

Shinji shrugged. "Lady, I ain't certain I want to be like you. You aren't exactly being friendly."

"**You cannot stop what has been started. Destiny must be fulfilled."**

His eyes grew dark, anger growing in him. "Destiny is a word for those whose hearts are too weak to seek their own path. I don't know what the destiny you think must happen is, but I fight for my own future, made by my own hands."

"**You would stand against us, stand against your family."**

"I stand by what I choose, who I choose. I stand for the rights of everyone...Angel." He spat out the last word. "You're the one making Reika sick, aren't you."

"**It was not meant for her. It will be removed."**

"And who gave you the fucking right to decide that?" he screamed. "She's my friend and my partner against that scum you send to kill us."

"**You will fail. Third Impact will occur. It cannot be denied."**

"Watch me deny it, watch me stop it, watch me end it and all of you!"

A dark laughter was heard. **"You are unaware at what you face, the tests you have yet to encounter. While you seek to defeat us, are you so certain that those you protect will welcome your efforts? Are you certain that it is us you must defeat?"**

Shinji laughed a little. "A human or ten looking to take advantage of this? Well, I am shocked. In case you can't tell, that was sarcasm." He shook his head. "You fail to understand what you face."

"**As do you and the Lilum. But things will be made clear to you in due time."** The voice seemed to laugh.

He laughed. "I should fear a mysterious voice? No. I know damn well that many will see me as dangerous as your kind. But I will fight on. I will protect them, even if it must be from themselves."

"**Bravery and confidence do not make a future. Events are already in motion. In the end, you will fail, and humanity will be embraced by Third Impact. After all, like all, you are little more than a killing machine."**

"Then show yourself, and let me show you what determination truly is, Angel?"

Seven eyes appeared all around him, looking at him. **"You have no chance against us here. This is our world, our dream. Here, you are the figment, the element of no substance. Here, we control. Here, you pay for your transgression."**

Pain in its highest forms began to grip his body, forcing his head back in a silent scream.

And then...it stopped.

**I will not allow you to harm him, Lilith!**

"**And what makes you think your determination will impede this?"**

**I will not allow harm to come to him!**

"**He is nothing more than an abomination, a forced amalgamation between Adam and Lilum!"**

**Your opinion means nothing, Angel!**

The eyes closed slightly. **"Fine. He shall be left alone...for now. But like her, he is part of us, whether he wants it or not. In the end, his choice is not what matters. Destiny will be achieved."**

**He makes his own destiny, or have you failed to learn anything, Lilith.**

The voices faded, the grey ether changing into blue ether. "Reika?"

**Sleep, Shinji. Rest thy weary head. You have just met the enemy on her turf. Things will be harder from now on.**

He tried to move his head, see how she was represented in this world. "Are you..."

**I will be fine. Now, sleep, and regain your strength. Believe you can win, and you shall.**

He wanted to speak to her, ask who Lilith was, how she stopped her, and what was really going on.

But a feeling of peace enveloped him, and the dreams came again.

* * *

Rei simply stared into the cylinder, staring at the form of her friend.

She felt...bad...that he was in this state. Even the consolation that the S2 unit inside Unit 01 was breaking down did not help, nor did the news it would be gone within the day. Her friend was still suffering, still in pain, still fighting for his life.

_The human brain begins to experience adverse reactions as the body temperature achieves and surpasses 40.6 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit). I am unaware how long Shinji-kun was feverish._

_I...I failed my friend._

_I failed Shinji-kun._

_What shall I do now?_

A small tapping drew her attention back to reality.

Shinji was looking at her, smiling.

"Shinji-kun, are you feeling better?" She had to be quick. The new coolant system they were using might freeze him quickly if his fever broke, even with the monitor systems in it.

His smile stayed, as he placed his hand to the glass, the smile growing larger as Rei reciprocated.

"Shinji-kun," she asked, as he cocked his head to the side, "If you are feeling better, I wish to sleep. I have been awake monitoring you for two days."

He nodded, watching as she made her way to a medical bed, dragging it near the cylinder, and quickly falling asleep in it.

Shinji continued to stare at her sleeping form.

Seven...

Eyes...

He shook his head, ignoring the feeling of memories on the tip of conscious recognition. There would be time enough for that later. For now, he would rest, lending his strength to Reika, and silently promising to not eat anymore strange Angels.

Apparently, they didn't digest well.

* * *

In a tent outside of Tokyo-3 in a foggy field, a military fan named Kensuke slept on as a squirrel pissed in his combat boots. 


	5. Self Reliance

**Chapter 5**

**Self Reliance**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

Shinji stared as the removed the Bakelite casing from Unit 00, the orange painted EVA still in the throws of its berserk fury, frozen in time.

Rei had told him very little about the sync test that had resulted in her injuries, and the best he could get from the NERV staff was that pilot error was looking to be the issue that had caused the problem in the first place.

Shinji knew it was something else.

Staring at Unit 00, he could feel a presence similar to what he felt in Unit 01, what he felt that told him Reika was real, and not some delusion. To what mindset this presence was in, was unclear, and would be so until Unit 00 was fully charged, or had a power cable inserted.

But the echo, even after all this time, was still as strong as it must have been when Unit 00 was berserk.

He felt...anger...hatred...love...betrayal.

Was all these the emotions of the pilot...or of the EVA itself? If they were of Rei, would she tell him why she felt that way?

If they were of the EVA...then what? Would the EVA talk to him as Reika had done? Would the EVA even accept him as a pilot? It wasn't like Reika could put in a good word for him. Unit 01 was still recovering from the purging of the S2 organ, as was Shinji, his wings still unable to be retreated inside himself.

They were both in bad shape...well, bad shape for him. He was still feeling listless, as though his own energy was barely enough for him to function; another possible result of the link he shared with the huge purple mecha.

He felt the reason was more personal. For over a week, all he had been dreaming about was seven eyes that seemed to pierce his soul, judging him and looking ready to strike him down. He never told anyone of the dreams, but he knew Rei had a suspicion that his sleep was disturbed, the albino girl always found with her arms wrapped around him when the dream would wake him, her face pensive.

Shaking away such images, Shinji turned and left, wanting to meet Misato and the others at the temporary station where the Fourth Angel was being studied. He would have his test with Unit 00 after Rei tried to sync once again. For now, he wanted to see what he was facing.

And maybe...find out why they were facing it.

* * *

"Does it look at all familiar, Shinji?" asked Ritsuko, the display showing what they had been able to determine of the Angel's power source.

He shook his head. "Not really, I'm sorry. All I know is that was where the Angel was getting his power." He blinked. "You mean we didn't learn anything from the S2 Unit 01 took from the Third Angel?"

She shook her head. "We're still not clear on the principles behind them, but we gained a lot of understanding from what we learned from that one. But as you saw, it'll take a lot of work to get an S2 constructed that will work for an EVA. They seem to be...individualized."

"What about the tests on the Angel itself?" asked Misato. "Any news from that?"

"See for yourself," Ritsuko said as she brought up a new display.

"So," said Shinji, his eyes wide with amazement, "we are that close to Angels?"

"Yes," said Dr. Akagi, the graphs of the few conclusive tests on the screen. "The Angels are 99.89 percent the same as us."

Shinji blinked. "Oh, so they're meta-morphs."

Seeing the confused looks of the other two, he continued. "Well, you said they seemed to be composed of both particulate and wave patterns, which would fall under most sci-fi beliefs that they can interchange energy and matter and allow for regeneration as well as the improvements they seem capable of creating."

Ritsuko's eyes narrowed. "This is no fiction, Shinji."

"I'm not saying it is, but these readings and observations would go with a shape shifter principle."

Misato smiled. "Wow, Shinji, maybe we should have you in charge."

Ignoring the fight that was breaking out between the two, Shinji stepped out of the small office in time to see them lower the remains of the Angel's core lowered to the ground, his Father before it, and the rage to attack the man once again climbing.

It was then his Father removed the gloves, and Shinji caught sight of the scars.

Turning back to the girls who seemed to have stopped arguing about whether or not sci-fi played anywhere in with the possibilities of the Angels, he spoke. "Any of you guys know how the old man burned his hands?"

"Burns?" asked Misato. She turned towards Ritsuko. "You know anything about them?"

Ritsuko nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "Yes. It was before you arrived, Shinji. During the activation experiments for Unit 00, it went berserk. The pilot was trapped inside. It was Commander Ikari who rescued them, opening the entry plug hatch with his bare hands, a hatch that was super-heated."

Shinji nodded. _I doubt it was out of the goodness of his heart. So, while I know a little more of the story of how Rei got injured, I still have no idea why my Father acted so. It's not like him to care for others, so what exactly is his connection to Rei?_

_What exactly are you hiding, Father? And does it have anything to do with why I can't sense anything inside the Geo-front?_

* * *

During PE class, the girls were in the pool, enjoying the cold waters on a hot day, as the boys were at the basketball court, a game in progress.

Shinji, however, was off to the side, staring up at the quiet and alone form of his roommate. _Why do you keep yourself alone, Rei?_

"Hey, Shinji, what are you looking at so intently?"

He turned, seeing the playfully accusing face of Toji. "Huh?"

"Oh, I think he's looking at Ayanami, right?" said Kensuke, pushing Toji down to get some words in.

"So?" asked Shinji, not quite getting what they were hinting at.

"So," said Kensuke, his face taking on a more perverted stare. "You're looking at Ayanami's boobs, Ayanami's thighs,...Ayanami's calves!" The last item mentioned with Toji.

Shinji blinked. _Are all boys supposed to be this perverted, or just the ones I seem to make friends with?_ "Those are all nice, but that's not what I'm looking at."

Kensuke kept smiling. "Oh, so you're planning to go after the Class Rep?"

"What?" was the nearly screamed reply of Toji.

Shinji shook his head. "I'm not after anyone," said Shinji. "All I wanted to know is why Rei's always alone."

The two sat back, with Kensuke answering. "Hmm...come to think of it, I don't think she's had any friends since she started here in the seventh grade."

"There's just something that makes it so hard to talk to her," said Toji.

Shinji nodded, recalling his own difficulties getting Rei to open up to him, let alone to Misato. The girl was a deep introvert, beyond anything Shinji himself had been like when he started attending public schools when he had his wings hidden. _I know why I had to stay calm and aloof, but why does she?_

* * *

Shinji sat inside Unit 01, talking to Reika. _You have any idea why she's so quiet?_

**None. And her memories won't help, because she's never tried to sync with me.**

_Memories?_

**Yes, when you pilot me, I can talk to you in your mind, and thus, I have access to some of your memories. Don't worry, though, I will not share them if you ask me not to.**

_Thanks, I'd appreciate if you didn't. I also don't want you to do anything that will block her from piloting you._

**Why?**

_Because you never know when I might be of better use outside of you then inside; and I still haven't figured out what's wrong with Unit 00. I can't get any good readings from it unless I sync, and I won't be doing that until after Rei's activation test._

He heard no response from Reika as the monitors zoomed in on Rei and his Father talking. _She...she's smiling._

**So? Why is that a problem? Shouldn't she be happy?**

_I can't see a reason for her to be happy talking to him. Odds are that he is the main reason she is unhappy the way she is._

**Jealous?**

_No. More like concerned. She leads a lonely life, knows little to nothing on socialization, and looks up to that bastard. _

_All this tells me is that he is using her like he wants to use me._

Reika stayed silent, not offering her opinion, but also wondering exactly what game the Commander of NERV was playing.

* * *

Ritsuko paled as she sat her meal back on the table, looking around at her dinner companions.

Misato was diving into the mixture of curry and ramen noodles, and after tasting it herself; she knew Misato really didn't have any working taste buds left.

What really surprised her were both Shinji and Rei quietly eating the meal. "And you two are enjoying this?"

Rei simply spoke as she gathered more food. "It is edible."

Shinji just smiled. "Not the worst stuff I've ever had."

"WHAT?" screamed Misato. "There is nothing wrong with my cooking!"

No one moved when a thud was heard from the kitchen, thus leaving PenPen to enjoy his impromptu nap.

Shinji just continued to eat. "No offense Misato, but this stuff would kill lesser people, or at least do serious damage to their digestive tracts."

"Then why are you enjoying it, Shinji?" she asked with a playful, yet dangerous, tone.

Shinji just smiled. "Well, it's better than tree bark and bats." Seeing her blink, he continued to smile. "Spent a week in the forest trying to "obtain oneness with nature", didn't work, but did teach me a lot about what **not** to eat. Cicadas are crunchy though, but they do not taste like chicken."

"How is this compared to those cicadas, Shinji?" asked Ritsuko.

"I miss them now," said Shinji.

And thus, they got to hear Misato screaming about her cooking for a few more minutes, before Shinji reminded her she could also take up other chores as well.

And throughout the meal, PenPen stayed in the kitchen, on the floor, and having dreams that would make most drug trips seem tame by comparison.

* * *

Shinji sat inside Unit 01, waiting for the launch command. Another Angel had arrived, and from what he could see on the view screen, it was a tough one. The form was certainly unique, and he found little to make fun of it. But he still had no idea what it could do, even as they loaded the shoulder blades onto Unit 01 containing his progressive knife, as well as a new weapon asked for; a progressive katana. _Well, looks like things will get more interesting._

As he was reaching the surface, he felt Reika scream out in worry, as Misato's warning hit his ears. But unfortunately, the EVA was still locked to the sled.

He had enough time to see the blast tear through a support building and head straight for him.

On instinct, he did the only thing he could do, and prayed it worked. If not, he didn't know if he'd have the energy to survive it.

* * *

"SHINJI!" screamed Misato as the blast struck Unit 01, stopping mere meters before impacting the EVA.

"Sync rate now at 125 percent!" scream Aoba.

"Get him back, now!" screamed Misato, before she turned to the scream, expecting to see the EVA pierced by the energy weapon.

Instead, she saw two large white wings protruding from the EVA's back, folded before it, blocking the ray, and slowly fading from sight.

* * *

Shinji awoke to find himself in a hospital room again. "I seem to be seeing a lot of these ceilings lately."

"Yes, you are," came the quiet reply to his left.

He turned, facing Rei. "What happened, the last thing I remember was...a warning..."

Rei nodded. "Misato-san ordered you to dodge, but the staff was unable to disengage the sled locks in time. You generated wings like you currently sport, which shielded you from a majority of the effect from the Angel's attack. However, the wings quickly fell apart as you were brought in."

He turned back to face the ceiling. "Then Unit 01 wasn't damaged?"

"The front chest armor received some heat damage from the intensity of the blast, as well as some damage from where the blast was able to start pushing through the defensive field you emitted. Dr. Akagi would also like to talk with you about it, because it coincided with your increased sync rate."

He nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yes," she said, standing and pulling out a book, proceeding to go over the plan Misato had contrived.

He forced his tired body to sit up, even feeling large amounts of pain from his wings. "And this will work?"

She nodded. "You should have faith in Misato-san's plan."

He could only chuckle. "Maybe we should just drop her curry ramen from last night on it."

Rei blinked as she got up to leave. "That would be in direct violation of UN Directive 405-F against the use of biologic and chemical warfare."

He blinked as Rei shut the door. "Did she just end on a joke?"

* * *

He looked on at the scene before him, with Unit 00 perched before him with the shuttle shield, as he aimed at the Angel with the weapon. _Reika, we gotta nail him on the first shot, or the recharge time will get Rei killed._

But he only received silence. As with him, Reika had been injured as well deflecting the initial blast, her own energies being used to keep the wings deployed as long as they had been.

Even if only slightly better off than Unit 01; Shinji was still feeling the effects of that trick, and was barely functioning as is.

Still his sync score was the highest, and thus he was delegated to firing instead of Rei.

He found his breath coming in deeper pants, as if he was expending more energy than he could afford. If he had been at full power, he could have even infused some of it into the weapon and gave it a punch that would have even gone through the Angel's blast.

But he would make do with what he had, and win.

He could do no less for those he cared for.

His only regret: not being able to hide his Father on the shield.

* * *

"Increase power to the life support systems, give him a heart massage!" called out Ritsuko.

The first shot had missed, intercepting the Angel's shot, and throwing off the trajectories of both.

When the Angel had fired a second time in less time than its expected recharge cycle, Rei had taken position to protect Shinji. But the blast was tearing apart the shield.

Shinji had screamed, and once again, the white feathery wings had appeared, deflecting the energy away from Unit 00, and sparring the unit and thus Rei any damage.

Shinji had just enough time to pull off the final shot, before his cardiac activity stopped.

"No change!" screamed Aoba.

"Maximum charges, now!" screamed Ritsuko; as Misato had already fled the trainer to get medical attention to Unit 01.

Rei, for her part, quickly discarded the remainder of the shield, her communications line still active. Shooting to the side of Unit 01, she supported the EVA as the entry plug ejected. She removed it, laying it down, and using her EVA to remove the superheated casing, so that medical help could get to Shinji. _Shinji-kun, please be okay. You didn't have to protect me, but thank you. Now survive so I may inform you of this personally._

Misato and the support team ran to the plug, the smell of evaporated LCL hanging in the air, leaving a putrid stench. When she arrived at the plug, she noticed Shinji sitting still, his wings gone, and feathers floating inside the LCL. "Wake up, Shinji!" she screamed as she helped the staff get him from his seat, so that the medical support could work on him.

"SHINJI!"


	6. Enemies of Shadows

**Chapter 6**

**Enemies of Shadow**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

_One week ago...the day of the dinner..._

Ritsuko stepped out onto the balcony, lighting a cigarette. She was somewhat thankful that Shinji had been able to make her some edible food, while Misato had been distracted with taking PenPen to the vet to ensure the hot-spring penguin had not endured permanent injuries.

But then again, a foaming penguin attacking both its owner and Rei had been a very amusing form of entertainment to her.

"You okay, Doc?"

She blew out the smoke in her lungs, turning towards the winged boy who had stepped outside. "Worried about me, Shinji-kun?"

Despite her hopes, he hadn't reacted in a shy way when she called him such, further causing to wonder what events had happened to this child to keep him so damn collected. "Well, considering what the food did to PenPen, I thought I'd make certain you didn't go psychotic as well."

They shared a little laugh. "You know you shouldn't smoke, it'll kill you."

She smirked. "So will giant beings from space."

They stared out into the city for a bit, both enjoying the quiet, but curiosity was getting the better of Ritsuko. "So...the wings..."

Shinji sighed, deciding it would be better if the woman who would most likely have to be pulling his ruined form out of a cockpit to heal, had some knowledge of his...history. "What has my... What has Gendo told you about me?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. He does wish to know more about your unique abilities. It's also why he's pushing for your sync tests with Unit 00 as soon as possible after Rei retries." It was the truth. Gendo had been hounding her for answers, almost derailing all their work on Project E for that purpose, but had been fully blocking any attempts to learn about how Shinji might have acquired the wings. The man was only interested in results, not causes.

Sighing, Shinji began. "Not that I expected him to admit it, but I suspect he knows exactly what did this.

"It began shortly after my mother's death. He told me I was sick, and started injecting me with what he claimed were drugs to help 'cure' me." Shinji snorted. "Bastard didn't care the shit made me feel like my body was on fire, or that I puked for days, having to be fed by an IV. No, he kept up the damn injections, kept testing me with every device the damn place had. I swear it was a cycle: inject, scan, take samples, repeat.

"After about a month or more—I can't really remember—he sent me away, claiming I was useless to him now. About a month later, my wings showed up after my guardians informed me that my Father wasn't coming back for me, that he'd abandoned me."

Ritsuko didn't need to be a psychologist to see the pained and angry look in his eyes. She knew as well as anyone, perhaps more, that Gendo was at the best of times cold, a heartless bastard at the worst of times. She did feel some need to comfort the boy, but squashed it. Right now, he was as much a source of information to her problems as well as a pilot, and personal involvement like what Misato was trying to form with him—that of friendship and perhaps a big sister/little brother approach—was not something she could afford while remaining objective. "How long before you could withdraw them into yourself?"

"About two years. If I had any extreme emotional reactions, they'd sprout out. Had to spend a lot of time homed-schooled." He paused, returning to look over the city. "Ritsuko, I don't know what my...what Gendo's like now, but I do know one thing: he's nothing but an abusive, self-important asshole who will do anything and screw over anyone to get what he desires." He turned towards Ritsuko, surprising the older woman with the fire in his eyes; a fire she knew was directed at his abusive father. "Never trust that man. He doesn't have a heart."

As he walked away, Ritsuko took a final drag on her cigarette. Before tossing it off the side of the balcony, and slowly blowing out the smoke. "Well, that raised more questions than it answered.

But, she was no longer feeling a strong need to win Gendo over...even if only the strength of such needs had died slightly.

* * *

Shinji slowly felt the world through his senses, not feeling the pain or agony he would have expected with the last battle.

A call...

A flash of light...

Wings of an angel forming once again...

The shot to save Rei...

Then nothingness, as if all of existence had ceased for him.

His senses built upon themselves, revealing the world to him. He could smell the faint scent of LCL, feel it surrounding and enveloping him. Taste was far from what he expected. In it, he could taste what was like a cross between an all-purpose vitamin and medicine.

"Welcome back," came a warm but somewhat distant reply.

His eyes slowly opened, seeing the tinted view telling him that he was once again suspended in LCL, or at least a new type.

"In case your wondering," said the voice, which he thought sounded like Ritsuko Akagi, though his eyes still seemed to have trouble focusing, "the LCL was treated to accelerate your healing process. It has some medicine to alleviate pain, as well as nutrients to accelerate your body's recuperative abilities."

"Sight...can't..."

"I see, the medicine is sedating you. Give me a moment and I'll have the filters remove it and add a stimulant." As he heard the sound of a keyboard being typed upon, he slowly felt his senses begin to sharpen once again. "You know, Shinji, if this works, you should be able to internalize your wings again and return to school."

"Should have...let me...die. Test...tomorrow...didn't...study."

She smiled, though he couldn't see it. "You have no idea how truly close you did come to dying. You were clinically dead for three minutes before they were able to get your heart going again."

"I...died?"

"Yes. The way we figure is that you expended too much energy to protect Unit 00, more than your EVA could provide. It overtaxed your system and your heart stopped."

"Is...is everyone okay?" He felt his body strengthening, his metabolism quickly finishing off the sedative and beginning to work on the stimulant as well. "Did we win?"

"Thanks to you," said Ritsuko, her appearance now crystal clear to him, making him wonder what this tube was made of to correct for the refraction of light through LCL. "That last shot took out the Angel. If you'll look to your right, you'll see the cot she's been sleeping on."

He turned his attention to it, seeing the telltale sign Rei had used it: it was still a mess. "She says being near me lets her dream."

Ritsuko nodded, placing that bit of knowledge away for later use. "Well, right now she's undergoing a sync test with Unit 00 again, but she and Misato did ask to be told when you woke up." Her demeanor turned a little more serious, and a little more caring than many would come to expect from her. "Are you ready to see them?"

"Not certain, yet."

She smiled as she continued to type away. "Take your time, coming back from the dead tends to cause one to overexert themselves."

What she didn't tell him was the scans and readings that were continuing to fill her console. When the team working on Unit 01 had informed her of what they had discovered, her interests demanded she examine Shinji to confirm if the link was producing similar results. She just didn't have a way to tell him...yet.

Like Unit 01, Shinji's body was constructing and developing its on S2 unit.

And like with Unit 01, she had no idea why.

* * *

In a holographic chamber, several monoliths representing the ruling council of SEELE presided.

"What of our plans for the testing of the new technologies?" asked the high and nasal voice of SEELE 05.

"They have all been implemented with minimal incursions," said SEELE 09. "Has Ikari been...convinced...to have his son attend?"

"Yes," said SEELE 02. "He believes the boy is needed there due to some interpretations of the scroll. If all goes as planned, the anomaly will be contained."

"And if not?" asked SEELE 01.

"Then we will know how our preparations to contain the anomaly have us standing."

* * *

Shinji sighed as the helicopter continued its course to the proving grounds for Jet Alone, near Old Tokyo.

He knew all about the old city, having come here on several occasions with his guardians, enjoying his night flights around the abandoned skyscrapers.

So much death...

Not that Tokyo had been the worst example of death for Japan. During Second Impact, accompanying earthquakes had sunk several cities. Instead of the tidal surge of a few dozen meters, those cities sunk kilometers under the waves, becoming present day stories of Atlantis. One reminder of such would require you to take a boat off what was the new coastline a few hours out to where the old coastline had been.

But now, the flooded city was being used as a staging ground for an alternative to the EVAs: the Jet Alone project. Since he had been...asked...to attend by Ritsuko, Misato, and strangely enough...his own father, he decided to brush up on the competition.

Early prototype designs had not inspired much confidence. The Mark I was little more than a walking automaton. It had no offensive or defensive weaponry, relied on a fission power plant, and wasn't even a quarter as maneuverable as an EVA.

But the one they were to see today: the Mark VI; was light years beyond that. It had an internal fusion battery, had several offensive laser batteries that were able to pull off shots seventy percent stronger than the energy weapons created for the EVAs. The defensive abilities were classified, even to him. But they were promised to be able to go toe-to-toe with an AT Field.

But then again, the EVAs couldn't house the power plants like JA could. The biologic components would be exposed to radiation, as well as temperature constraints. Basically, they were two divergent paths.

From an objective point of view, Shinji could appreciate the goliaths, seeing that they could function as mobile dolls, sentries to support the EVA. A few of them in the last battle could have spared him having to test what a sync rating of over a hundred percent could do to an EVA, and he suspected the wings like his own was only the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, he doubted things were really that simple. After all, if his Father had insisted he be here, then it was most likely his Father had some stake in this. If so, then Shinji knew he recovery was about to end.

He just hoped Ritsuko would make Rei take some showers this time. Her bedding was a little foul from her lack of showers after sync tests to check on him.

* * *

Rei sat in her room at the apartment, looking at the pillow Shinji had left for her, filled with his feathers.

She felt...undeserving...of such things.

He was always protecting her, even when her job was to protect him.

He was...special...to her. She did not know how, and perhaps wondered if it had to do with the Angel abilities he had shown. It made her wonder about her own abilities, her own power that she had the potential to tap into.

Why didn't she? Why did she stay stagnant while Shinji continued to grow?

Was what she sensed in him of Adam, and if so, why was the part of her that was Lilith not showing similar attributes?

It was her phone ringing that snapped her out of such thoughts before any sense could be reached.

**Rei Ayanami; report to NERV for sortie.**

The text message was simply enough. _Maybe I can use this opportunity to repay Shinji-kun for my earlier failure to protect him._

* * *

They four sat inside a small room on the transport jet, Unit 00 attached to it. "Rei Ayanami, this is Dr. Senada, head designer and programmer for the Jet Alone project. Doc, this is the First Child."

The two nodded at each other, showing little in the need for discourse.

Misato sighed, wondering why she always got stuck with the quiet ones. "The mission is simple. First, you'll pilot Unit 00 with the battery packs as we drop behind the target, modulating your AT Field to the specified parameters given to you by Dr. Senada, so as to both hide us from the JA, as well as block the internal defense systems of JA."

"Why do we simply not destroy JA with an N2 mine?" asked Rei. "It is far enough away from inhabited areas."

Senada appeared to be ready to yell, but it was Ritsuko who stopped him. "The fusion power plant inside JA uses a fuel similar to what powers an N2. Any breach would result in an explosion likely to vaporize a quarter of Japan's remaining land mass."

Sighing, Senada explained further. "There are several fail safes to ensure such an event doesn't happen should the core be breached, but the drone currently in control of the JA disabled them."

"Drone?"

"A construction drone was apparently modified to infiltrate and reprogram JA," said Misato.

"We used them to help facilitate the faster constructing of JA with the rapid upgrades and retrofits our development teams produced." He looked wearily at the girl, showing how much mental anguish his creation's rampage was causing. "They aren't much faster than you or I, but they're a hell of a lot tougher. Katsuragi will take it out while Dr. Akagi and I try to regain control."

"My mission is to reduce the mobility of the unit, use my AT Field to hide our presence; but what about Shinji-kun?"

Misato smiled. "He's acting like a mosquito, buzzing around it to keep it from getting closer to any inhabited areas. But I'm afraid he hasn't been able to land on it." She sat down beside Rei, handing her the specifications for the pseudo-AT Field of JA. "It's knocking him back, and readjusting itself continuously to keep him from adapting."

"Then how will the EVA get through?"

Ritsuko smiled. "Shinji will attack from the front, causing JA to shift more energy to that portion of its barrier. The EVA's AT Field will be far stronger than Shinji's, and be able to neutralize the back, as well as the rear weapons platforms. Sadly, this will cause you to use up one of the battery packs, which is why we can't fully neutralize the entire defense grid."

"I still don't understand how a pilot can generate an AT Field," said Senada, "let alone how one can generate angelic wings." Senada hated mysteries.

Ritsuko smirked. "Trade secret."

* * *

As Shinji flew around again, he saw Unit 00 drop to the ground, followed by it making a mad dash towards the berserk robot.

He smiled, enjoying the battle that was about to begin, as he was tired of merely playing. He whipped his sword out again; wanting to ensure JA was focused on him to ignore any sudden attacks from behind, and released several Spirit Cuts towards the target.

Sadly, like those before, they impacted on the green barrier, causing no damage.

But they had allowed the EVA to pierce the weaker back of the field, since it concentrated power to the front to further ensure that Shinji's attacks didn't get through.

* * *

The three dropped down the ladder, Misato in the lead with a gun drawn. It wasn't internal defenses she was worried about, as Unit 00's AT Field was blocking those sensors. It was what they had seen assisting in the control of JA: a construction drone with what appeared to be a processing enhancement package on its skull.

It proved to be a smart move, as she soon fired off several shots as the drone had leapt from the console and tried to attack them. She relaxed only after emptying her clip into the beast of metal. "We need to get this thing out of here now!"

"There's an emergency dump chute behind this panel, in case we needed to get out during testing." The Dr. Senada decided it was in the best interest to save his creation to help them. After all, they could always come back later and pick up the damaged drone to discover who had tampered with it.

They each fell to the floor as Jet Alone. "Rei, what happened?" screamed Misato over their comm. Unit.

"_I have smashed the shoulder-mounted laser cannons to assist Shinji-kun. Was that an incorrect action?"_

"WAH! MY BABY'S BEEN HURT!" screamed Senada.

He was largely ignored as Mistao and Ritsuko dragged the damaged drone to the chute and chucked it, only to be shaken again a few seconds later. "Rei?"

"_The drone self-destructed, however it was far enough away to do no damage. However, Unit 00 will require a new paint job on its left foot when this is over."_

Ritsuko began to chuckle as Misato made an exasperated sigh. "Our little Rei is becoming quite the comedian."

"Har har," said Misato. "Now, can we concentrate on stopping this thing? I really don't want to be here in case JA decides to self destruct and take out a good portion of Japan with it."

* * *

"So, how were your tests today, Rei?" asked Shinji as he continued to fly randomly in the hopes of evading the receiving of a laser into a painful area of his body: such as any part of it. He was grateful that Rei had disabled the shoulder cannons, as they were beginning to work in tandem with the chest ports.

"_My sync score has increased by three points,"_ came the cool reply over his headset.

"That's good," he said, doing a barrel roll to avoid a triangulated attack.

"_Shinji-kun, why is Jet Alone Mark VI attacking you specifically?"_

"Not really certain, might have to do with the backers who helped advance JA so fast."

"_This will be investigated after we are finished here."_

Shinji nodded, wanting to respond that he might have several ideas of a group interested in pulling this off, when Misato interrupted over the comm. _"Shinji, we've got a problem."_

* * *

"_What's the problem?"_

Misato sighed and continued to talk as Ritsuko and Senada worked on shutting down JA. "Well, the computer is focused on you, but not enough for us to bypass the security features. We need to computer to be so consumed with you, that it'll ignore us. That's about the only thing that drone's left us as an option."

"_So basically I need to get the CPU to let itself be consumed with the all-fulfilling rage of killing me? That about right?"_

"_I do not like that idea,"_ came Rei's reply. _"We need an alternative to putting Shinji-kun in further danger."_

"_Give me a moment, you'll know when I'm moving," _said Shinji, before disconnecting from the conversation, before any of them might be able to talk him out of it.

* * *

Shinji knew of one way to help them: he had to keep the OS and power flows of Jet Alone so busy, that the others could deactivate Jet Alone's AI protocols.

That meant...he had to be a target that JA would dedicate everything to defeating.

So, he stopped evading the laser pulses, and threw all of his energy into his AT Field.

Jet Alone would never resist the challenge.

He was right, as his world soon lit up in pain.

* * *

"Hurry!" cried Misato, watching on the viewing monitor as the lasers tore into Shinji's barrier, trying to fry the target it was so intent on eliminating. She swore that if Shinji had one scratch, she would track down whoever set this up and kill them.

"Almost...almost...THERE!" screamed Ritsuko, as JA began to shut down, Dr. Senada moving quickly to pull out key circuit boards before the AI might try and compensate.

It did little in the minds of the two NERV employees, as they watched their friend reappear from the attack...and begin to plummet to the ground.

Ritsuko screamed out first. "REI, CATCH HIM!"

* * *

It had been the hardest thing that Rei had ever been asked to do: stand by and do nothing. In her mind, it should have been her, as she was easily replaceable. But he had ordered her to stay there, holding JA, and preventing the team inside from being tossed around.

She wasn't even allowed to use her own AT Field to dampen the attacks, as it was being used to keep internal defense systems inside JA from attacking their team.

She knew she was crying when the beams ripped out towards Shinji, she knew she felt...sadness and pain that it was him suffering once again, that she was still unable to protect the light within her life, the light that made her feel...human.

Then the attack faded and...

"_REI, CATCH HIM!"_

Quickly, she released the AT Field from JA, leaping over the robot, and racing, hands outstretched to catch the falling bundle. As her timer began to tick away the final seconds, she made a mad leap, putting her faith in her EVA.

She screamed out in frustration as her screen went black, shuddering as the vibrations of her impact rang out throughout the plug, before moving with practiced and desperate easy to activate the emergency ejection system.

As she emerged onto the back of Unit 00, she raced along the body and arms towards her hands, desiring Shinji to be in them, and hopefully not under her EVA.

And there he was; most of his clothes gone from the blasts, but breathing and looking towards the sky...laughing. "Shinji-kun, what is your status?" she asked, trying to reaffirm her professional attitude.

"Tired, burnt, sore, and winded," he said, turning towards her. "And I recommend as pilot of Unit 01, that we purchase several Jet Alones for use in the defense of Tokyo-3."

"_Rei, what's your status? Is Shinji okay?"_

Rei shook her head, reaching up to touch the Comm. Unit still attached there to communicate with Misato's team. "Pilot Ikari is alive...and laughing. He has also recommended the purchasing of the JA series for the assisted defense of Tokyo-3."

"_Rei...did Shinji hit his head?"_

"Yes, but I do not see how that affects his recommendation."


	7. Of Fire and Ice

**Chapter 7**

**Of Fire and Ice**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

Shinji sat inside the entry plug for Unit 00, trying to tune out the chatter over the communications line, and try and make contact with the spirit inside the EVA.

His luck was not going well.

_I know you're in here. I mean you no harm, I'm not here to yell at you. I just want to be friends._

But the spirit still refused to talk to him.

_Listen, I know you are here. Unit 01 has a spirit named Reika, and I know she's a great soul. _

_I can feel your emotions, you know. I can feel your fear, the hatred you possess. I don't know why you feel this way, but holding it in like this can't be good._

Sighing, he was about ready to request the tests to be ended, when she finally spoke.

"**Who are you really?"**

Shinji blinked. _I am Shinji Ikari._

"**You aren't fully human."**

_You can thank my father for that one._

"**Gendo. I...hate...Gendo. But I can't remember why. I just know it has to do with...her."**

_You mean Rei?_

"**Yes, she is a problem. I hate her...and I hate Gendo."**

_Why?_

"**I do not remember, but they have...betrayed me...in some way."**

_Is that why you resist Rei when she pilots you?_

"**Yes."**

_Would you stop? We have to defeat the Angels, and fighting between ourselves won't help us do that._

"**Why should I care? Why should I fight for my enemies?"**

_Because I am asking, as a friend._

"**Friend? Why are you now my friend?"**

_Because I hate Gendo as well, and despite what may have happened between you and Rei, I know for a fact it'll most likely have been his fault in the end._

"**He is...your enemy?"**

_Yes. He stripped me of my childhood, turned me into an angelic human, and even now, tries to dominate and control me for his own purposes._

"**Then why not kill him and be done with it? I tried myself, but the bastard was able to stop me."**

_Reika asked me not to. He is an enemy we can predict and somewhat control. I have others out there after me, and those may or may not include those after whatever the Angels seek here._

"**So, you ask that I delay my vengeance on him, drop my hatred for the albino bitch, and work with her to defeat the Angels and bide our time until we kill Gendo?"**

_Yep, that about covers it._

"**Fine. I shall side with you...for now. But I shall not communicate with the bitch. And rest assured, when my memory returns of why I hate the both of them, we shall chat first."**

_That is all I can ask. I shall try and visit you as often as I can without arousing suspicion about the fact that I can do this._

"**Very well."**

Before Shinji could eject, he heard one last sentence from the presence of Unit 00. **"And Shinji...call me Nao. I think that's my name. And thank you."**

* * *

Shinji found himself once again stuck at how to fall asleep. It wasn't that he wasn't tired. Quite the opposite. He had spent several hours trying to establish contact with Nao to begin with. As a result, mentally he was exhausted.

But, it appeared things were still to test him, as Rei reverted back to her old habit of sleeping nude. "Rei, we discussed this."

"Shinji...am I a failure?"

"Now where did that come from?" he asked, truly surprised, and forgetting his earlier question.

"Twice I have been in a position to protect you, and twice I have failed. As such, I am forced to ask if I am a failure, and if another should be selected to protect you."

He shifted a little, so that Rei could look him in the eye, his hand running through her hair. "You are not a failure, Rei. What we do is dangerous, and even you can't protect me all the time."

"You are not replaceable, Shinji-kun. I am."

"No, Rei, you are as unique this moment as you are the next. Even twins are unique from each other, even if the difference is only a fingerprint."

"And you view me as unique, even if I change from who I am now?"

"Yes."

"But you are unique in more obvious ways, yet you risk this in operations and actions likely to end your existence or expose it. Why?"

Shinji leaned his head back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling. "I am not responsible for how I came into this world. I am only responsible for what I do in it and how I leave it; the latter given a certain amount of leeway. If I am to die, I rather it be trying to save lives than for it to have no meaning. If I die fighting the Angels, then I die fighting to keep humanity going."

"But what of those who survive? Will you not fail them by leaving them to miss you?"

"The point is that they **will** still be alive to miss me. The noblest sacrifice anyone can ever make is to give their life freely to save another. It is not a sacrifice I wish to make at every moment, but one I would do should the battle require it."

"I do not wish you to make such a sacrifice, Shinji-kun. I wish for your uniqueness to remain on Earth."

He smiled. "I will fight to remain with you, Rei, but you must do the same. I do not wish to see this Rei leave either."

If he had known of Rei's past and what she really was, he would have known how much those words truly touched her soul, confirming for her not only that it was there, but that she was...connected to another human soul, that she would be missed, even in her death. "I will fight as well, Shinji-kun. Good night."

He noticed her smiling face before she drifted off again, failing to admonish her for not getting dressed.

But for now, she got what she needed: the feeling of connection to being unique and wanted.

In the end, that's what everyone really wants.

* * *

At the moment, Shinji would give his left wing just to be alone.

They were currently on a MIG-55 D Transport Helicopter heading towards a ship called "Over the Rainbow", and Misato had taken him as well as Kensuke and Toji, his friends.

Rei had been his first choice, but Dr. Akagi had to see her for some tests. He was assured that nothing was wrong, but that her last test had revealed some anomalous readings, and Ritsuko wanted them cleared up in case they could grow into something bad.

That did little to lessen his discomfort at his friends. Kensuke seemed to need to film anything that was around, usually more Misato than what one would expect from the military fanboy. Not that he wasn't extremely grateful to Shinji for "bringing" him along.

And Toji became a sore spot when Misato said she had invited them on this "date" so that they could get out of the mountains for a while.

"Wow!" exclaimed Kensuke, angling his camera out the window. "One...two...three...four...five aircraft carriers and four battleships!"

As Toji began to complain about the "gorgeous carrier" Misato had told was their destination, Shinji himself stiffened. _What the hell?_

Whatever was now around him, and possibly on the carriers, was creating the same interference in his senses that he experienced every time he entered the Geo-front.

So intent was he on trying to force past the dulling, he failed to notice a female in a dress watching the approaching helicopter.

* * *

"Oh! Cool! Awesome! Incredible!"

Shinji shook his head as Kensuke proceeded to stop exclaiming his joy and slowly started to drool at the military hardware now in his presence. Even the crews on the deck were beginning to either smile at the enraptured boy or shake their heads.

It was the kind of thing that made Shinji regret his decision to stop being home schooled.

People his age were just...way too weird.

Stretching his tired muscles from being cramped inside the helicopter for so long, he walked forward as Toji made a mad dash to retrieve his flying hat. _Really, what type of person wears unsecured clothing on an aircraft carrier? I mean, this is wind central!_

In reality, his thoughts were more on the dead zone that was surrounding him. He knew something was suppressing them, which he would bet good money on was the very thing the Angels seemed to want at the Geo-front.

So, if something here was deadening his senses as well and he knew for certain it wasn't an EVA; that meant a second target was now making its way to Tokyo-3. _Great, open water, no Reika, and no prep time._

_Oh, an Angel's coming. Yeah fucking me!_

As one would guess, Shinji was really beginning to hate his job. _What the hell am I: a magnet for trouble? What's next?_

What was next was a redhead in a yellow sundress that also had not learned how windy a ship at sea could be.

However, she had learned how to crush Toji's hat underfoot. "Hello, Misato. How have you been?"

"Fine, how about you?" asked Misato, still rubbing her neck. "You've grown some, haven't you?"

By this time, Toji was trying to remove his precious hat from under her foot, Kensuke was still busy filming the jet aircraft, and Shinji just lowered his head, eyes closed, waiting for the disaster he knew was fast approaching. _Oh, how bad can this go?_

"And how. I'm not just taller, but my figure has filled out as well."

_It's like an accident. You know it's going to happen, you want to watch, but you don't want to be part of it._

"Let me introduce you. This is the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, the Second Child; Asuka Langley Soryu."

Sadly, throughout this, Toji had been unable to remove his hat from under her foot.

Unfortunately, this was also the point where the accident finally occurred, and the wind blew her dress...up.

Two smacks were heard as Shinji leaned back, feeling a shift in wind as Asuka's hand missed him. He completed the tumble by doing a back flip, and straightening up, opening his eyes as Asuka made another attempt at him. "Wouldn't I have had to have my eyes open to deserve a slap?"

That stopped the redhead in her tracks. "You're telling me your eyes were closed? Then how did you avoid my slap, huh?"

"Simply, you move too loudly. Besides, why the hell would you wear that anyway? Everyone knows that ships like this get very windy while at sea?"

"What did you do that for?' screamed Toji, as he and Kensuke now sported red handprints on their cheeks, not having been fast enough like Shinji to avoid it.

"That's the viewing fee. Quite a bargain, don't you think?" said Asuka, back in her old position, the hat still under her foot, and her hands on her hips.

Now, Shinji took a look at things. Even without his higher senses, something about this screamed out that it could get worse.

It did. _Why me?_

"What, you think it's worth that?" Toji then unbuckled his belt. "Then take a look at mine!"

As the pants dropped and Asuka's face took on a look of horror, Shinji couldn't help but chuckle as his mind replayed a clip from an American movie he watched a few months ago. _Say hello to my little friend!_

"Insolent dork!"

Soon, Toji was sporting a second handprint on his face, as Kensuke smiled. It appeared the fanboy was changing the cassettes in the camera, which meant the school just got a new file to share and further embarrass the school's jock.

Shinji just shook his head. _Toji, Hikari is **so** going to own your ass._

"So, which one of them is the famous Third Child?" She cast her eyes towards Toji. "Please tell me it isn't him?"

Misato laughed, the type of laugh you hear when a problem is about to be fostered off that person and onto you. "Don't worry, it's him," she said, motioning to Shinji.

Shinji then got to experience Asuka's stare as she evaluated him. "Well, he looks kind of weird."

Shinji blinked. "In what way am I weird to the girl wearing the dress that loves to expose herself?"

"What? You said you didn't look!"

"I didn't, isn't that weird?"

"ARGH!" she screamed as she resumed trying to slap him again. "Take your punishment like a man!"

"I would if I did anything!"

Misato sighed as the crew began to laugh at their antics. _All I wanted was one routine trip. Was that too much to ask?_

* * *

As the Captain was looking over her ID—which she now had to agree with Shinji that she **really** needed to retake that photo, as she looked like she was high—he spoke to them. "I thought you were the leader of this gang of boy scouts, but I was obviously mistaken."

"Thank you for your understanding, Captain," Misato said, hiding her sarcasm and trying to sound as professional as possible.

"Oh no," said the Captain, not even bothering to hide his sarcasm. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to baby-sit even more kids after such a long time."

Shinji just sighed as the pissing contest developed.

"Well, thank you for your assistance in the marine transport of Unit 02." Misato was determined to maintain her professional attitude, even though she wanted to jump and beat the hell out of the Captain. Opening a folder, she pulled out several documents. "Here are the specifications for the emergency power supply socket.

This caused Shinji's brow to arch. He knew of only one reason for them to send such a thing with them for a "simple transport assignment", and that was if they knew what he was already considering: that whatever was creating the sensory blackout for him was likely to call another Angel to attack. _Man, I hope Unit 02 likes me. I have a feeling I'll be seeing it real soon._

"First off, I'd never approve any request to activate the toy at sea," said the Captain.

"Why don't you think of this as being prepared for an emergency," said Misato, her eyes betraying her professional appearance a bit.

"That's why the Pacific Fleet is guarding it."

"Excuse me," said Shinji, "but the UN forces have proven consistently that conventional weaponry is useless unless you can get past an Angel's AT Field. So exactly what do you have that can do that...aside from the toy as you call it?"

"And you are?" asked the Captain.

"Shinji Ikari, pilot of EVA Unit 01, and killer of three Angels. May I ask for your battle expertise against our current enemy, sir?"

"Are you suggesting that we are useless...boy." The Captain didn't even try to hide his accusations or his feelings on the subject now.

Shinji smiled. "Sir, when facing a jet fighter, a knife and your uniform won't mean shit. Now, we happen to have the very thing that can kill an Angel consistently. Now, being a professional, I would suggest that you stop this little pissing contest on who does what, install the damned power supply, and stop acting like a whining little brat who's been taken out of the game. After all, we are in the middle of a war here for our survival, and I for one don't believe we have enough time for these childish games a man in your position and rank should be beyond." With that, he turned and walked out of the Bridge, more intent on finding the strange item that seemed to call Angels before they found him.

Smirking, Misato turned back towards the Captain. "So, Captain, what armaments do you have to combat an Angel and get past its AT Field?"

The meeting degenerated from there, leaving Kensuke to continue his surprised and excited cries as he continued to film the bridge.

* * *

Shinji leaned against the railing, breathing in the sea air, as he tried to regain his center. _I nearly lost it back there. Why? _

_You know why, idiot. It's because you know you're being used again: placed in a situation without the right knowledge. Damn Gendo._

"My, that was quite impressive."

Shinji turned to see a man in a dress outfit: light blue shirt, red tie, and dark pants, with stubble on his chin. "I'm Kaji Ryouji."

"Sorry, I'm not the best of company at the moment."

Kaji nodded. "I understand, the Captain is a bit of an old-school blow hard."

Chuckling a bit, Shinji sighed. "So, what are you doing here, Mr. Kaji? You don't see many civilians onboard a ship like this."

"I'm escorting Unit 02 and her pilot, whom I am the current guardian of."

He shook his head. _I guess no EVA pilot can have a family._

"Well," said Kaji, "I guess we should go and find the others. I do wish to catch up with Misato. It's been so long."

"You know Misato?" Shinji asked, amazed at how things were going. If Misato knew the Second Child, then she must know this guy.

"Yes, I do, we went to college together..."

* * *

_Why me?_

The two had found Misato and the others, much to Misato's ire and Asuka's glee, as she apparently had a huge crush on Kaji, if her initial glomping onto him was any indication.

And to make matters worse, all had crowded into a small elevator to go deeper into the ship.

"What are you doing here?" asked Misato.

"Why accompanying Asuka, why else?" he stated. "I'm also on a business trip from Germany."

"Man, was I careless." Misato looked towards the side of the car, hoping to at least avoid seeing Kaji. "I should have anticipated this."

Her tirade was cute off as both her and Asuka gasped. "Hey!" they both screamed. "Don't touch me!"

Toji and Kaji both answered. "I can't help it!"

Kensuke was too busy filming the shaft.

Shinji was just praying for the suspected Angel to show up...anything to get him out of this place.

* * *

The group was having some tea and coffee after exiting the elevator and enjoying a small meal, staying silent as the ship's broadcast system alerted which squadrons would be drilling today.

"So," started Kaji, ending the silence, "do you have a boyfriend yet?"

"That's none of your business, is it?" said Misato.

Shinji just hung his head. _Great, old lovers' spat._

"How can you be so mean?" asked Kaji, leaning back in his chair.

Shinji went to sipping his tea. _If I remain a part of the scenery, this will all go away._

Unfortunately, his plan failed. "So, I understand you're living with Katsuragi, aren't you?" asked Kaji.

Shinji sat down his cup. "Yes. She took me in."

Kaji smiled. "So tell me, is she still so wild in bed?"

_Oh, you're getting it._ Shinji smiled, despite the group's screech of embarrassment. "Well she tosses and turns a lot, and every time a bell goes off, she mutters something about proving that he's a minuteman, whatever that means."

Kaji blinked as Misato started to bust out laughing.

Kaji just smirked. "Well, I should have expected the unexpected from the famous Third Child, who piloted an EVA in his first battle with no training."

This earned him a stern glare from Asuka. "It was just luck." _Yeah, a hell of a lot of luck and Reika's help._

"Luck is a part of your destiny, it's your talent." Kaji smiled as he pushed his chair back; ignoring the fact he had repeated what her read off a fortune cookie at dinner yesterday. "Well, I'll see you later. See ya."

Misato just sighed. _Well, at least he got Kaji for me._

* * *

"So, what do you think of our Mister Shinji Ikari?" asked Kaji, as him and Asuka stood on the walkway as the ship plowed through the sea.

"He's boring. That's the Third Child, what a disappointment."

"And yet he had a synchronization ratio of over ninety percent in combat, with no prior EVA training, though maybe the martial arts rumors about him being some sort of prodigy were true, and could explain it."

"That can't be real!" Asuka exclaimed. The guy just couldn't be better than her.

Could he?

* * *

The group from NERV was on an escalator, a strange addition to be in a ship, but then again this was a Second Impact model.

"Man, that Captain's attitude really is pissing me off," said Toji, leaning a bit on the rail.

"He's got a lot of pride," said Misato. "Too much pride is bound to make him cynical to us."

"Too much pride will get him killed quickly," said Shinji, his eyes closed, his mind once again trying to force past the dulling of his senses.

He turned to Misato. "Well, Mr. Kaji sure is...lively."

Misato turned towards him a glare on her face. "He hasn't changed one damn bit; that jerk!"

"Hey, Third Child!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Shinji took a deep breath before turning to face the girl who had yelled out to him. "You do know I have a name."

If she heard him, she gave no indication. "Come with me!"

_Why me?_

* * *

Soon, the two were transferred over to the cargo ship, holding the massive form of Unit 02.

"Red? I didn't know Unit 02 was red." Shinji looked at the EVA, deciding not to mention that until this morning, he didn't even know there was a Unit 02, as even Misato had been shaky on giving him details on the location of the Second Child.

"The color isn't the only difference," she said. They went into the holding tank. "After all, Units 00 and 01 were created as part of the developing process; prototype and test type respectively. The fact that it synchronized with an untrained pilot like you is proof of that."

Shinji glared at her, even if she didn't know that she had just insulted his friend. "Or maybe I have a natural ability that a little girl like you lacks."

"Not likely," she scoffed. "Created for actual combat conditions, this is the worlds first true Evangelion!"

Shinji just sighed. Not at the fact that Asuka was intent on still flashing people, as she had taken a position of standing on the port for the power plug while wearing a dress, but that the girl was so full of herself. _Self confidence is good and all, but she's got an ego the size of the Fifth Angel!_

"This is the final model!"

"Then why are there more Evangelions being built instead of this one being mass produced?"

Before she could answer, an explosion was heard, and the ship shook. Shinji didn't need his enhanced abilities and senses to know what had just occurred.

The next Angel had arrived.

The sad thing was; he didn't know whether or not to be thankful for the distraction.

Boy, was he wrong on both accounts.

* * *

"Where the hell are you taking me?" screamed out Shinji, wondering why the redhead was seemingly enjoying the fact that an Angel was attacking.

"Just wait here a second," she said, ducking into a stairwell.

Sighing, Shinji opened his own pack, pulling out his plug suit, and quickly dressing in it, before he noticed a note fall out.

_Shinji,_

_Here's your new suit. Made it for when you go over 100. Good luck._

_Ritsuko._

He smiled at that. _The girl's got heart, I'll give her that._ It was then he noticed the little additions she made to it: slots in the back where his wings formed. _Now this I can work with._

"Don't peep, you pervert!" she screamed, as he checked in on her.

"Fine!" he yelled from behind the stairs. "I'll just be piloting Unit 02 against the Angel." _Since when did she become shy at flashing people?_

"Like hell you will!" she screamed, finishing her dressing in less than five seconds, before racing up the stairs. She prepared to toss him her spare suit so he could pilot, until she noticed he was wearing one. "Huh?"

Shinji just took off towards the EVA as she followed. "I came prepared. Besides, red's not my color."

* * *

"Why won't it sink?" asked the Captain, as the Angel continued its assault on the fleet.

"I knew it," said Kensuke, filming the fight, "only an EVA can beat it."

Unfortunately, this alerted the Captain and First Officer to their presence on the Bridge.

* * *

"Now I'll show you how magnificent my piloting is!" proclaimed Asuka as the entry plug opened." She hopped in. "Just don't disturb me."

Shinji was however quicker, knowing that if he needed to release his wings for extra power, only by sitting behind Asuka would they remain hidden.

"Hey!' she screamed as the plug closed. "Get out of my seat!"

"Bitch later, kill Angel now," said Shinji as he began to initialize the system.

* * *

"This is odd," said Misato, "it seems to be searching for something."

Little did she know, what it was searching for was twelve decks below her, inside a briefcase in the hands of Kaji.

* * *

Asuka was beginning the startup again, not enjoying her position on Shinji's lap, speaking in German, in the hopes that her old startup routine would confuse the boy.

But as it finished starting up, she was hit be the realization that in order for that to have happened, Shinji would have had to have been thinking in German.

She turned to him, expecting an answer, but all she saw was his smile, before he spoke to her in German. "Sind Sie fertig mit herumposieren oder willst du noch das Alphabet vortragen, bevor wir das Ding umbringen" Which translated into: "Are you done posturing, or would you like to recite the alphabet before we finally kill this thing?"

Angry, she turned forward, grabbing the control yokes, promising that even without her seat, she would still prove that the Third Child had only been lucky, and that a real pilot was beyond what his meager abilities could accomplish.

"Evangelion, Unit 02, activate!"

* * *

"Telex from the Othello! EVA Unit 02 is in the process of activating!" came the call over the radio.

"What the..." cried the Captain, as everyone on the bridge turned towards the ship.

"Way to go, Asuka!" cheered Misato.

* * *

"You do realize that we'll have some problems if we fall into the water," said Shinji, wondering if the wings would negate that problem. _Spirit of Unit 02, if you can hear me, we need your full support now!_

He didn't hear a reply from 02, but he did hear one from Asuka. "And if we don't, we'll be fine, all right?"

"_Shinji, are you in there too?"_

"Yeah, Misato, it'll be dead in a few minutes." He knew that his presence would ease his friend; he only hoped it would work, as Asuka didn't strike him as the type to keep his secret if exposed.

He turned towards the Angel. "We need to go, now!"

Asuka smiled as her EVA launched itself off the ship mere moments before the Angel destroyed the tanker, landing on a destroyer, and hopping towards the Over the Rainbow for the power feed.

Shinji smiled at what he saw, as the EVA seemed in tune with her thoughts, as he tried to keep from causing any static. _You're both working in perfect sync. Thank you, whoever you are._

Unfortunately, Asuka landed a little off center on the ship, causing it to tilt and dump several planes into the water.

As the Captain screamed about his lost equipment, Asuka inserted the power socket into her EVA, stopping the countdown timer, and turned towards the Angel, withdrawing her progressive knife.

The Angel raced towards it, leaping out of the water and onto the deck, as Unit 02 wrestled to hold it still.

"Damn it's a big guy!" said Shinji, sending what power he could through to the EVA to keep it stabilized. As long as he didn't grab onto the control yokes, his mind wouldn't create enough static to hamper Asuka.

Sadly, it was all for naught as the EVA's foot slid on the elevator for the aircraft, which gave way under the strain, sending both the EVA and Angel into the waters.

Asuka began to slide from her perch on his lap, until his arms lanced out; his right going around her waist to support her as his left grabbed the yoke, adding his own mind to the control. _Enough of this, the kid gloves are off!_

"_Asuka, it's impossible to fight under water!"_

She just smiled. "You never know until you try."

By this time, Shinji had released her waist and placed his other hand on the control yoke, increasing his power until individually; it would be over one hundred percent, allowing his wings to come out.

The Angel began to drag them along the sea floor, which was now what remained of an old city that had sunk into the waters after Second Impact.

"Let...us...GO!" screamed Shinji, as his mind caused the EVA to slam its AT Field into the Angel, causing it to be released from the large beast.

He was about to suggest a plan to fight, as well as test out what his abilities of enhancing the EVA could do, when the dulling of his senses began to fade. _What the hell?_

* * *

Kensuke was in the middle of changing his tapes, when he spotted a plane about to take off, a new voice coming over the radio. _"Hey Katsuragi!"_

"Kaji!" she screamed.

"_I've got something to deliver, so I'll be taking off now..."_

Misato could only stare as Kaji took off. "That...that...that RAT BASTARD! SHOOT HIS ASS DOWN!"

The Captain sighed. "We could, but someone's toy damaged all surface to air batteries."

It still didn't stop Misato from chucking what she could grab at it.

"MY HAT! NOT AGAIN!"

* * *

Shinji watched as the Angel came closer again, his power pouring into the EVA, and his wings fully extended. _If you can hear me, spirit of EVA Unit 02, then let me help her, and let us kill this beast._

What was really shocking him was the fact that his full abilities were quickly coming back to him, making him certain to question what had disappeared from those ships.

Still, even with this, their movements were sluggish. "What's going on?" cried Asuka.

"This is the B-type equipment," said Shinji in a calm voice, peaking his head over her shoulder to keep her from seeing his wings.

"What are you going to do?" asked Asuka in a slightly panicked voice.

Shinji just smiled. "I'm going to crank it up a notch," he said, releasing more of his power into the EVA, causing the sluggishness of their movements to drop. "Never give up, when the will is all you need."

As the Angel swam closer, it opened its mouth, causing Asuka to screech a bit.

Shinji was more focused on the red orb in its throat; the Angel's core. "There's our weak spot. Come to daddy!"

The Angel was soon upon them, trying to crush them in its jaws, but the two arms of Unit 02 grabbed the mighty maws and held them open, keeping the teeth from piercing them. But the Angel would not be denied, so like a fish trapped on the line, it jerked any way it could, trying to dislodge the EVA's hold and swallow the enemy.

"_Asuka, do you hear me? Whatever you do, don't let go of the target!"_

Shinji chuckled. "Furthest thing from our minds, Misato." The Eva Shook. "But whatever you're planning on doing, hurry it up. We can't keep Jaws here from swallowing us very long!"

Asuka was staying focused on the Angel, ignoring the voice or her position on Shinji's lap, as she forced her will into keeping the Angel's mouth open and from piercing them with its teeth.

* * *

The power cord snapped taut as they were pulled back on the line, the two battleships now coming down on a point-blank assault to kill the Angel.

"Pervert, what are you doing?" cried Asuka as Shinji's breath became ragged.

"I'm putting all my power to nullifying the Angel's AT Field for Misato's plan to work." It was the truth. Shinji was at maximum output, his wings as far as he could make them go, his full power tapped into so that not only would the EVA keep the mouth open, but that the Angel's AT Field would not stop the ships.

"What?" she asked, not even turning from the front.

_Please, Unit 02, help us!_

Shinji was running out of strength, desperately willing his body to continue, knowing that even if they survived, there was no way Asuka would miss his wings, as he'd be too exhausted to pull them back in.

But then, a voice rang out in his mind, one he had waited to hear. **"For my Asuka, I will do all I can."**

In that moment, Unit 02's eyes glowed a bright green, as the monstrous unit slammed the mouth open even further, letting the battleships enter and fire.

* * *

As the explosion rocked the sea, signaling the end of the Angel, the crew of the Over the Rainbow held their breath, until Unit 02 slammed onto the deck, wings of light fading from existence, as it's power ran out, collapsing onto the deck.

"They did it!" screamed Misato, grabbing Kensuke and swinging him around, must to Toji's disappointment.

* * *

As the EVA shut down, Asuka smiled, until the weight of Shinji slumped onto her. "What the..."

Then she turned and saw them: twin feathery wings.

Shinji smiled from her shoulder. "Can we get to the insults about my uniqueness after I wake up? Good night, Asuka. And...well done, Second Child."

As he passed out, he failed to hear the screams or feel the punches of Asuka as she tried to get away from him.

* * *

Normally, Ritsuko would be at the port to look over the data from the battle.

That would be the normal procedure.

But right now, she was studying Rei.

"Is there a problem, Dr. Akagi?" asked the quiet girl.

Ritsuko took off her glasses, staring at the girl on the table as the machines scanned her. "Rei, have you felt odd any over the last few weeks?"

"No," was the simple reply.

Ritsuko nodded, touching some of the buttons to release Rei, and called her over to the screen. "From what I can tell, your S2 unit is breaking down.

Rei held back any fear she may have felt. If her S2 was no longer functioning, they may conclude to terminate her and activate Rei III. "Has this affected my sisters?"

Ritsuko leaned back. "Yes, they are undergoing a similar effect.

"But the surprising thing is that another S2 is forming where your appendix was." She left out the part that it was almost the same spot where Shinji's had formed. _I'll need to check Unit 00 to make certain it isn't undergoing a similar change._

"What does this mean?" asked Rei, curious as to why her body would replace a functional S2 engine.

"It means, Rei," she said, as the image on the monitor switched to identified new tissue growth, "that you will soon experience the joys of a monthly visitor."

Rei blinked. "What visitor would that be?"

Ritsuko sighed, forgetting how naïve the girl was when it came to euphemisms. "It means Rei, that you are developing a reproductive system, as are the spare clones."

Rei blinked, wondering how this change would play out.


	8. In Time to the Beat

**Chapter 8**

**In Time to the Beat**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

Kozo Fuyutsuki moved his pawn forward on the board as he played a game of chess against Gendo Ikari. "I heard there were some...difficulties...when Unit 02 arrived with the pilots still inside."

"Yes," Gendo said, studying the board. "The Second Child was unhappy with the Third Child still inside."

"Why were they not ejected after the battle?"

Gendo placed his finger on his rook. "During the battle, the EVA drained the emergency ejection power supply. It is suspected it was used to help keep the Sixth Angel's mouth open longer than the power supply permitted." He moved the rook, placing it in position to capture Kozo's knight.

"What did she do to the poor boy?" asked Kozo, now studying the board to see if saving his knight was a wise move.

"Before the internal sensor log lost power, it appeared she beat on the Third Child for a few seconds, before shoving herself in a corner of the entry plug."

"And when she was released?" he asked, debating between sacrificing his knight to gain a better advantage on Gendo's queen, or to take the rook, and lay a trap with his bishops.

"Apparently..."

* * *

"GET THE DAMN FAIRY BOY OFF ME!" screamed Asuka as the plug hatch was removed, allowing her the freedom she sought from the angelic man.

As she scrambled out of the open plug, several technicians and medical personnel eased Shinji from the plug; his face sporting some bruises from where Asuka had struck him, and placed him on a gurney to be taken to his regeneration chamber, as the workers had dubbed it.

It was then the irate child noticed Misato walking up towards her. "Misato, what the fuck is that...that...that thing?" she screeched, pointing towards the departing form of Shinji.

Misato's glare stopped her tirade. "That was the Third Child, and because of him, you're still alive to call him those names."

"Oh, and what makes you think I wasn't the reason, hmm?" she asked, her ego demanding stroking.

"Because," Misato said matter-of-factly, "EVA 02 sprouted angelic wings towards the end of the fight, and only Shinji can do that with an EVA when his individual sync level goes over one hundred percent."

"No way," Asuka murmured as she turned towards the doors Shinji had been wheeled out of. She turned towards Misato to ask a question...only to find a semi-auto pistol pressed to her forehead.

Misato stood with grim determination on her face. "Shinji's wings are also classified to the highest levels. No one outside of NERV and his guardians know of them. If we learn that you went and blabbed about them before he was ready, or tried to form a mob to eradicate the "fairy boy" as you put it, you will be terminated, Second Child. Do I make myself clear?"

* * *

"I see," said Kozo, moving his pawn to box in Gendo's King. "Check."

Gendo looked over the board, trying to find a counter strategy. "With the Third Child returning to classes today, it promises to be interesting with how this will fair."

"You are not worried the Second Child will expose him?"

Gendo remained expressionless. "It is of little concern at the moment. If he is exposed, it may weaken his resolve to the point his usefulness in the scenario will increase. As he is now, he is too free-spirited."

"You mean he is not meek towards you? Kind of reminds me of his mother that way." Before Gendo could respond, Kozo asked another question on his mind. "Have we determined why he referred to Unit 01 as Reika?"

Gendo paused in moving his remaining knight. "No. He has not told Rei and the best we can infer from the mumblings, he seems to believe that Unit 01 wishes to be called that."

Kozo paused. "Does this mean he may be communicating with Yui's soul?"

Gendo moved his bishop, hoping that his last gambit would pay off. "If so, then having him test within the other EVAs may prove dangerous. If the soul of Unit 00 or 02 can communicate, or if Yui decides to fully reveal herself..."

Kozo rested his elbows on the table. "We then must prepare for that possibility." He looked the board over, spotting Gendo's plan. "And of the attack and the subsequent deployment of the Jet Alone series within Tokyo-3?"

"The old men appear to believe that simply eradicating the Third Child or capturing him is of great benefit. We merely need to coerce him to siding with us when the time is right. As for the JA, they are unable to do anything better than offer cover fire for the EVAs in combat. JA-00 is the only complete one. The others are little more than skeletons. Though, with the unfortunate stationing of Dr. Senada here, we also receive a hefty increase in our budget, despite the protests of those who wish us disbanded."

As Kozo made his next move, the board still held his attention. "It also opens more paths for them to sabotage us, old friend."

"Perhaps, but their efforts mean nothing in the end. In the final analysis, it is we who truly control the path of Instrumentality." He then smiled. "Checkmate."

* * *

One would think that fighting the Angels would have desensitized Shinji a lot when it came to surprises. Being angelic himself, this would have further reduced it to a near impossibility.

But seeing a sign saying, "Asuka Langley Soryu Photo Application, only 30 yen per photo," one could say that the odds were once again rolling away from him.

"Rei, is that sign really there?"

"Yes, Shinji-kun."

"And there really is a line for those photos as well?"

"Yes, Shinji-kun."

Shinji pinched the bridge of his nose again. "Rei, I'm beginning to suspect that I'll never have a male friend that is not a huge pervert."

"That is quite possible, Shinji-kun." The two walked into the school. "Perhaps you should revise that to only include males your own age, as you associate with several dozen males at NERV headquarters."

Shinji paused for a second. "I agree...only until I get to know those guys better beyond "Great job, kid," and "way to go"."

"Understood."

* * *

Rei sat outside, reading her science book. Normally, she would eat lunch with Shinji on those half days of class he was physically able to attend class. But he was currently taking a test he had missed yesterday. Even it being a half day had not affected those consequences.

And when a shadow fell on her book, she shifted to her right to avoid it and continue reading.

Sadly, the shadow would not be denied.

"Hello!"

Rei moved her eyes towards the shadow, not really caring about the voice behind it, as the staff had been kind enough to inform her of the girl's reactions to Shinji's wings.

"You must be Rei Ayanami, the pilot of the prototype."

_I was informed that was classified information._

"I'm Asuka! Asuka Langley Soryu."

_Why is she standing on the bench? Why are those people standing behind her? Is she a "flasher", as Shinji-kun suggested?_

"I'm the designated pilot of EVA Unit 02. Let's be good friends."

"Why?" asked Rei, returning to her book. Shinji had told her that is Asuka was in a situation where she might flash someone; she should avoid directly looking at the girl.

Though Rei had no idea why the human form would cause such a reaction.

"Because it would be convenient. You know what I mean?"

"If I am ordered to, I will."

"Talk about odd," said Asuka, as she prepared to leave, but a hand from Rei on her shoulder stopped her.

Rei stared into her eyes, her book closed, as she prepared to leave. "I do not willingly make friends with those who assault my other friends, such as Shinji-kun." She ignored the shocked expression on Asuka's face, stopping momentarily when they were beside each other to finish her statement in a low whisper. "And yes, I know."

* * *

"Man," said Toji, staring at the girls, "are only weirdoes chosen to be pilots?"

"I hope so," said Kensuke. "Now come on, we have more pictures to develop."

* * *

Ritsuko was going over the data collected from the sea battle with the Sixth Angel. She had been truly impressed that the data recorder had maintained information as well as power considering how much Shinji had channeled into the EVA.

What had surprised her was a scan of EVA 02 after the battle. Despite that Shinji had spent only a fraction of the time inside it as he had done with a near-week long daily one-hour sessions with Unit 00, both were at the same rate of S2 organ completions: 12.3 percent.

She suspected that if she scanned Asuka, she might very well find that the Second Child was also developing one.

If so, then Misato and her drunken pet would also require an exam. Since Rei had not been inside an entry plug with Shinji, the doctor could only assume close contact had played a part in Rei's S2 alterations and changes.

Of course, her internal musings were cut short as a pair of arms encircled her. "You've lost some weight."

"Is that so?" She didn't bother to look up. She knew who it was; Kaji.

"You must be enduring an unrequited love."

"How...did you know?" she asked as he pulled her closer, angling his head over her shoulder.

"Because," he said, turning her face to see him, "a woman with a mole in the pathway of her tears is destined to live a life full of them."

"If you're trying to put the moves on me, I'm afraid you can't." She turned her eyes forward. "There is a very ugly face observing us."

Misato was that face, plastered to the glass window of the room, and condensation trails flowing from her nose along it, her eyes wide with...anger.

Misato sent out another burst of hot air one more time as Kaji backed away from his hug of Ritsuko.

"Long time no see, Mr. Kaji."

"It's been a while," he said, sitting on her desk with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"You're a little less discreet than I expected," she continued, returning to her work.

"He hasn't ever been discreet in his life," came the irate reply from Misato as she entered the room. "You've finished handing over Unit 02, haven't you? You should be leaving now!"

His smile stayed as Ritsuko resumed her typing. "I just received orders this morning that I'll be staying here...on loan." He looked down at the blond. "So, looks like we can hang out together again." His chuckle caused Misato to start shaking in rage. "Just like we used to, hey, Misato?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Misato said, just before the alarms started to sound, she turned to run out of the room, stopping to glance back at Kaji. "Saved by the bell, eh, Minuteman?"

Kaji just shook his head as Ritsuko giggled before starting to leave as well. "You know she'll never let that joke die."

"I can wish," he said, leaving as well. "Got to admit, the kid was real quick on it."

* * *

"We just got this report from the Battle Cruiser Haruna. 'Have detected huge submerged object of Ki'i peninsula. Sending data.'"

First Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga worked over the data. "The data has been collaborated and examined." The hologram screen changed to show the data in question. "Wavelength pattern Blue. Confirmed to be an Angel."

Kozo stood at attention. "All personnel, go to first stage alert!" _It looks like we'll get to see how they all work together sooner than anticipated._

* * *

Misato looked over the convoy as she spoke into the microphone to the three pilots in the air. "The recent battle with the Fifth Angel has left Tokyo-3's intercept system severely damaged. Right now, only twenty six percent of our defense capabilities have been restored.

"In addition, our operational capability for actual combat is virtually nil.

"Therefore, we're going to have to intercept the target at the water's edge before it makes landfall. Units 00, 01, and 02 will make a series of coordinated attacks, with JA 01 and 02 providing fire support while you three engage the target and destroy it. Shinji, I want your wings fully deployed. Understood?"

"Roger!" came the reply of the three pilots.

* * *

Asuka, however, was upset. "This sucks. My Japanese debut and she won't let me handle it solo." She turned to the view screen with the image of Shinji on it. _Worse, she stuck me with fairy boy._ "Why do I have to have you guys along?"

Shinji just smiled, switching to German. _"Weil das hier ein Krieg ist, nicht irgendeine Ruhmreise zum Aufplustern Ihres bereits beträchtlichen Egos. Außerdem ist dies ein Standardverfahren. Sie, Frau Pilotin, sollten dies wissen." ("Because this is a war, not some glory trip to boost your already sizeable ego. Besides, this is standard procedure. You **should** know that, Ms. Pilot.")_

She growled, bending towards the image, also speaking in German. "Nun lass mich dir mal was sagen, Feen-Junge, komm mir nicht in die Quere!" ("Well, let me just tell you something, just don't get in my way, Fairy Boy!")

Shinji just smiled before he spoke again_. "Ich lasse Sie spielen, kleines Mädchen. Außerdem habe ich eine Frage. Wenn Sie so viel Zeit in Deutschland damit verbracht haben, ein großartiger Pilot zu sein, warum ist dann mein Akzent so viel besser als Ihrer?" ("I'll let you play, little girl. Besides, I have a question. If you've spent all this time in Germany being a great pilot, why is it my accent is so much better than yours?")_ He didn't give her time to respond before signing off.

"Dieser…. dieser Feen-Bastard!" ("That...THAT...FAIRY BASTARD!") She calmed down, forcing herself back into Japanese. "His selection for a pilot must have been a joke, right? No way he made it with an attitude like that."

* * *

Shinji's smirk sank as he brought up a private channel to Misato. "Are we secure?"

He saw her nod.

Misato had grown to at least trust Shinji, even to the extent of calling him close as family. While the wings still...shook her...a bit, she failed to let them block who he truly was: the guy who took care of her, paid the bills, and kept the fridge stocked with beer.

Besides, PenPen trusted him, and in the end, the hot water penguin was a good judge of character.

"Are we certain there is only one?" he asked.

"_That's all we can guess at this point. Why?"_

Shinji shook his head. "I sense...two of them, but they're right on top of each other. It's hard to tell them apart."

Misato's brow grew tight. One Angel was not a problem; not with three EVAs and two JAs taking it on.

Two? That might present more problems. _"Understood. Be careful, and thanks for the heads up."_

He nodded as the screen went out. Misato trusted him to tell her of this, and only she knew that he could feel them if he was outside the Geofront.

She never asked why he couldn't feel them inside it, most likely assuming it had to deal with the shielding used.

Truthfully, he had no idea either. But after this, he was hoping to find out what Kaji had carried with him to add to the null void.

* * *

As the power plugs were inserted into Unit 00 and Unit 02, Shinji took a quick moment to observe their beachhead.

Behind them about twenty kilometers away sat the immobile forms of JA 01 and 02. The leg armor was non-existent, so the units were left in a crotched position, should the Angel make a move that might disable their legs. They could move, but they'd have no protection below the waist. The chest armor was in full completion, meaning that the Angel would need several direct strikes to get anywhere near breeching the fusion reactors powering the metal titans. The arms were just about as bare as the legs, except for the riggings needed for the finger laser cannons. The shoulder mounted cannons were also in place, as well as several exposed arrays showing that they also had functional defense screens to help deter an onslaught.

_Glad they'll be pointed at an Angel this time instead of me. Those damn things hurt!_

"_Hey, how come Fairy Boy doesn't have a power cord?"_ asked Asuka over the communication line.

"Because Unit 01 has an S2 organ," Shinji replied with a bit of pride.

"_Where's ours?"_

"_Shinji's unique nature allowed Unit 01 to develop one. You will have to allow Shinji to sync with Unit 02 to develop its own S2 organ," _said Rei, not mentioning that both 00 and 02 were already developing S2 organs, but knowing that Shinji's presence seemed to increase the rate at which they were growing.

Dr. Akagi had taken the time to inform the "rational" pilots about that little fact before they were sent off. Not that 00 or 02 could pull any power from those organs until they reached about ninety percent completion.

"_Like hell am I allowing that Fairy Boy in my beautiful 02!"_

"_Permission to execute Pilot Soryu, Captain Katsuragi."_

"_Denied, Rei."_

"_Please?"_

"_No."_

"_I won't ask for anything for my birthday or Christmas."_

"_No, Rei."_

"_Damn."_

Shinji let loose his laughter at their antics, glad to see that even if it was cruel and somewhat warped, at least Rei was enjoying a sense of humor now.

His sensed cried out as he turned forward, ignoring Asuka's protest how the battle didn't seem fair, when his wings shot out, his eyes large. "THERE!"

The water surged upward, as a giant grey behemoth slowly rose into the sky.

"_Commence attack!"_ called out Misato.

Asuka didn't wait for backup, as she charged forward. _"Watch this. I'll handle the Angel, you all cover me!"_

"C-cover you?" asked Shinji, his wings out and his progressive katana already vibrating. "Damn it, Asuka, follow the fucking mission plan!"

"**Aggressive, isn't she?"**

_You have no idea, Reika. Pray she's never in here._

"_Ladies first,"_ she said as 02 bound between a few buildings, before leaping into the air with its progressive lance, and sliced the Angel in two, landing behind it in the water.

"_Well, Third Child,"_ she said with near arrogance, _"what do you think of that? A fight should be clean and elegant, without waste."_

Shinji just sighed. "For one, a fight is anything but elegant. Two, the damn thing is STILL ALIVE!"

The bisected angel changed shape, reforming into to smaller copies of the original grey; one red and one light brown. They soon moved themselves to face both Asuka in the read and the remaining group on the beach.

"_What the hell!"_ screamed Misato, breaking her microphone. _Damn, Shinji called it right. It's a trap!_

* * *

The members were assembled in the debriefing room, slides shown on the frame. The three pilots were there still in plugsuits; Shinji more heavily bandaged than Rei, while Asuka hardly had a scratch. Sub Commander Fuyutsuki sat in the back, while Misato, Maya, Kaji, Ritsuko, Dr. Senada, and several medical personnel, sat in as well.

Maya began. "At 10:58:15 AM, Unit 02 engaged Target Beta; which had separated from the main target submerged two kilometers off Suruga Bay. It was halted fifteen seconds later."

The slide changed to show Unit 02 buried like a stake, face first, into the farm land.

"At the same hour, same minute, plus twenty seconds, Units 01 and 00 were attacked by Target Alpha, and later Target Beta.

"At 11:07:12 AM, Unit 00 was halted by a combined attack from both Targets."

The slide changed to show Unit 00 buried as Unit 02 had been, but this time in the waters of the ocean.

"At the same hour, same minute, plus ten seconds, Unit 01 reengaged the two targets with full cover fire from JA 01 and JA 02, which had been unable to assist, do to Evangelion Unit placements.

"At 11:09:05 AM, Unit 01 was halted by a synchronized assault by Target Alpha and Beta using a combined physical attacks which disabled Unit 01's wing defense barrier, immediately followed by a dual energy attack from opposite directions at point blank range."

The next slide showed Unit 01 with severe armor damage lying on its side in the sand and partially covered by building rubble.

"We now have a comment from the E-Project Chair Person."

"This is pathetic," came the female voice over the speaker.

"This is all your fault!" whined Asuka, pointing at the bandaged Shinji and Rei. "You totally screwed up my debut battle!"

The two pilots just stared at her. Rei decided to comment. "We were not the ones taken out after five-point-eight seconds."

Shinji nodded slightly, his injuries demanding he should have been inside his regeneration tank, but the debriefing took precedence. "Correct. Asuka, you were the one who charged into that fight acting like a pompous idiot instead of following the damn plan."

"Pompous idiot?" she spat, insulted. "How dare you call me that, you pathetic Fairy Boy! You're just a damn jerk; both of you!"

"Look in the mirror if you want to see a real jerk, Soryu. You were in such a rush to show how much better you supposedly were, that you totally disregarded all procedures to try and justify that damn ego you have."

"Permission to eliminate Pilot Soryu, Captain?" asked Rei, staring down the redheaded girl, and now finding a legitimate excuse to hate the color red.

"Denied!" shouted Misato. "Asuka, sit your ass down!"

The Second Child did as ordered, but not before continuing to mumble about worthless fairy boys.

"At 11:10 AM, NERV abandoned operation and transferred full command to the UN Secondary Force, which used the JA 01 and 02 to force the damaged Targets further into the waters off shore."

"We've been humiliated," spat out Sub Commander Fuyutsuki. "We had numbers and firepower and we still were defeated." Truthfully, he was upset, but also impressed. Rei and Shinji had faced the Angel twins for over ten minutes before being overwhelmed. He was also a little afraid that Shinji, despite having full backup from the JA Guard, was quickly overwhelmed, and had spent most of the battle both protecting Rei, as well as the UN positions.

In Shinji's favor, the Secondary UN Force did offer their thanks for saving their lives.

"At 11:12 AM, the UN forces made an attack using an N2 mine. However, they did not attack before the Twin Targets got off an energy shot each on the JA positions."

The next slid showed the N2 blast as well as the downed JA androids. The blast had hit the defensive screens, but also the ground before them, causing the large machines to tip over and crush several buildings.

"WAH! THEY HURT MY BABIES!" cried Dr. Senada.

"At least we don't have to redraw the map too much," said Fuyutsuki.

"The attack succeeded in burning off thirty-seven percent of the targets' structural substance."

"Did they kill it?" asked Asuka.

"This is merely a temporary measure. The second attack is only a matter of time."

"At least we have time to reorganize and regroup," said Kaji. "You can't ask for more than that."

"Listen up, all of you," said Fuyutsuki as he stood up. "Do you know what your job is?"

"Piloting EVA," said Asuka.

"Defeating the Angels and protecting humanity," said Shinji, Rei nodding in agreement.

"Correct, Pilot Ikari," said Fuyutsuki. "NERV does not exist so that you can go on a power trip. Therefore, the next time, you all will cooperate...fully!"

"Why should we?" yelled out Asuka.

Shinji stood up shakily, as Rei moved to stabilize him, as he faced Asuka, his breathing labored. "Because, little girl, we are fighting to save humanity, not stroke your bloated ego and offer praise to the self proclaimed Goddess of Piloting: Asuka!" He wobbled closer, lowering his voice. "If you can't be professional about this, then go back to playing with your little dollies!"

Before she could reply, her face growing red, Shinji fell into a coughing fit, small splatters of blood landing on Asuka's plug suit and towel.

"Get him to the tank, NOW!" cried out Ritsuko, as the medical personnel quickly placed Shinji on a bed and rolled him to the labs.

Fuyutsuki just shook his head. "Enough of this," he said, as his pedestal lowered into the floor with him.

"Why is it my fault all of the sudden?" asked Asuka.

* * *

"Well?" asked Misato after Rei and Asuka had been escorted to medical for the rest of their tests.

Dr. Senada took off his glasses and began to clean them. "The power readings off those blasts were enormous according to the JA sensors." He placed his glasses back on his face. "And the readings for the AT Fields of the Angels shifted from one second to the next. They recorded that Shinji appeared to be close to matching it and piercing through, but when Rei fell, they overtook him."

Misato sighed. "And the JA couldn't pierce it?"

"It was like when they attacked Shinji; they modulated the phased space so that the weapons had to constantly adjust to cause further damage than the minor first impact."

She turned to Ritsuko. "The EVAs?"

The blond sighed. "I can either give you Units 00 and 02, or 01, but not all three. The armor damage on 00 and 02 are relatively light, but 01 took heavy damage, and even its S2 organ can't fix armor damage. Hell, the internal systems will still need more time to repair."

"Begin working on all three until we have a viable plan. I'll have one in twelve hours, but do what you can to get all three up." She lowered her voice. "And Shinji?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "I'm amazed he's still alive with the damage Unit 01 took. He'll be regenerating for the rest of the day, and that's pushing his S2 organ."

"Rei?"

"She was better off. She suffered a few sprains and bruising, but Shinji was able to keep her relatively unharmed by placing himself between her and the blasts."

Misato rubbed her forehead. "He protected her while trying to complete the mission. And the wings?"

"They faded as soon as his injuries grew too bad," said Ritsuko, checking her charts. "He still had them when we removed him."

Misato leaned back. "God, I'm glad Commander Ikari isn't here."

Ritsuko giggled. "If he was here, you'd have been fired when he saw the reports from the bureaus. At least the guys from the UN Force withheld the bill in lieu of Shinji's actions."

Misato tried to cheer herself up. "So, has anyone got an idea on how to help save my job and kill this Angel?"

Ritsuko looked towards Senada. "Can we send JA 00 to finish it off?"

Dr. Senada shook his head. "00 is already wired into the city's defense grid, and 01 and 02 are damaged beyond walking. They're being moved out to receive repairs. Even if 00 was not hardwired, by the time we got it transported, the Angel would have already regenerated."

Sighing, Ritsuko turned to her friend. "Well, there is this idea," said Ritsuko, holding up a disk.

Misato grabbed her hands. "I thank you, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi! It's good to have a friend one can count on."

The doctor's smile shifted as she moved the disk slightly out of Misato's reach.

"However, I'm not the one who will be saving my old friend."

Misato did not like where this was going, and liked it even less when the disk was labeled, "To my dearest honey".

"This is from Kaji."

Misato worked hard to keep the bile from rising up in her stomach, but the smile rising to her lips was so much easier for her to show.

Doing so, she missed when Dr. Senada handed Ritsuko ¥2000, as he had just lost the bet as to how she'd take the news.

* * *

Shinji was stiff, sore, and tired. His S2 was currently inactive after having pushed so hard. Sure, his body was repaired, but he was exhausted, and was not wanting to push his new organ so quickly. After all, he had little idea about how much it could take and what all it could do.

The fact he had conscious control over it was a little startling, but he chalked it up to more of his weird life. Right now, he just wanted to sleep, maybe catch a bite to eat.

He definitely didn't want to deal with a pensive Rei standing outside the apartment. "Rei? Is everything alright?"

"Shinji-kun, am I being...punished?"

He blinked, his mind becoming more alert. "What do you mean? As far as I know, none of us are in trouble."

She motioned towards the door, feeling that words would be inadequate.

She was right, as the sight of the dozens of boxes brought the full load onto him. "Oh, hell no!"

The same was for his room, loaded with delivery boxes.

"Don't be so rude, fairy boy," said Asuka, "these are only my personal belongings."

Shinji sighed. _I just wanted to sleep!_ "What the hell are you doing in my apartment, Soryu?"

Asuka just ignored him, continuing to finish her drink, staring at the two pilots. "Why are you still here?"

"I was unaware Pilot Soryu needed a hearing aid," said Rei, deciding to try and diffuse the tense situation with some humor.

It either failed to work or was failed to be heard by Shinji or Asuka.

"Still here?" he asked.

"Yeah, you've been dumped for the new model!"

He snorted. "Funny, I thought I heard that the factory was recalling you; something about a pole being lodged too far up your—"

"Hey!" she said, tossing the can behind her and marching up to Shinji, before poking him in the chest. "I'll be living with Misato now!"

Rei bowed. "I will then inform PenPen that he will need to clear room in his habitat for you, Pilot Soryu."

She snorted this time. "My staying here is completely logical, given my superior abilities compared to you two. Although I'd rather be living with Kaji."

Shinji had enough.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow!" Asuka peeped as Shinji grabbed her by the ear and drug her from the room, not listening as she yelled at him to let go, or for Rei to drop that smirk on her face.

"MISATO!" screamed out Shinji, wanting answers, and wanting them now.

He found Misato setting up a tape player and some weird floor mats. "Ah, Shinji, I see you met our new roommate."

She nearly flinched under the combined stare of the First and Third Child.

Shinji took several calming breaths, trying to find his center, but as his wings flew out his back and began twitching, Rei eased to the side, considering that the battle of calm v. reactions might have already been decided.

Shinji clenched his teeth, feeling his free hand itch to grab his sword. "Misato...explain...**now!**"

"Don't worry, Shinji-kun," she said with a smile plastered on her face. "I'm certain you three will get along real well."

Shinji released Asuka and headed towards the kitchen. He needed a drink...**now**.

* * *

"Now," said Misato, "this is all part of our plan to win."

"How, by driving me to the point of a killing spree?" asked Shinji, a near empty bottle of nearly pure grain alcohol in his hand.

Rei blinked. "I fail to see how that will work. Please explain."

Misato sighed. "Listen, the battle data compiled by the MAGI and the JA Mainframe showed that while the Angel regenerates quickly, damage down in the same spot at the same time to both Targets takes much longer to heal. Only by a coordinated attack can we hope to defeat them."

"Then why is Red here? Me and Rei already can coordinate well with each other?"

Rei nodded in agreement, while Asuka was stalled from retorting by Misato's hand. "The only units we'll have are 00 and 02. If it was possible, Shinji, we would send you out in 01, but that would mean no repairs to the other EVAs and it is doubtful you can hit both in the same spot at the same time."

"Ha! Take that, fairy boy!"

"Wark?"

The group looked down to see PenPen holding a new bottle of near pure alcohol for Shinji, a peace offering.

Shinji smiled, finishing off his current bottle and taking the other one. "Deal, I'll get you some fresh fish from Tai's market tonight."

The penguin surprised everyone else by bowing as much as his little body would allow, before waddling back into the kitchen.

Shinji drained half of the new bottle quickly, ignoring the astonished gasps of Asuka seeing him down enough alcohol to kill a normal person, before turning back to the group. "So why not place me in 02 and Rei in 00?"

"No one sits in my EVA but me, Fairy Boy; got that?"

The other children ignored her as Misato continued. "That is an option."

"What?" yelled out Asuka.

"Simply put, we will be working with you all as a group to maximize your synchronization levels, practice our plan, and send out the best two people. Shinji will also be spending time in both EVAs to accelerate their S2 development, in case we need more time than the emergency batteries will provide."

Shinji lowered his head. "So basically, I'm supposed to be bone tired from getting the EVAs self-sufficient, which only leaves Rei and Asuka as pilots."

"Great idea, Shinji!" shouted Misato, pumping her arm. "If you feel that's best, then we'll do it!"

Shaking his head, he wanted to cry.

Rei was kind enough to hug him, as they both ignored Asuka's yelling at Misato that she didn't work with amateurs.

* * *

Kensuke and Toji stood in the elevator, going to see their friend, who had been missing from school the last three days...again.

"I'm worried about Shinji," said Toji.

"He's been gone for three days, right?" asked Kensuke, watching as the elevator counted the floors.

The group stepped out as their floor came up, only to end up encountering the Class Representative; the freckled Hikari Horaki, as she came out of the other elevator.

"Hey, it's the Class Rep," said Toji, surprised to see her after school.

"Two of the three stooges," she said, staring at them.

The group started walking to their destination.

"What are you doing here?" asked Kensuke.

"To offer my condolences to Ms. Soryu. What about you two?"

"To offer condolences to Ikari," said Toji.

They didn't have long to wait until... "Why did you stop here?" they asked each other.

"Please move," came the voice behind them.

They all turned to see a hunched over Shinji, struggling to raise his key to open the door, when it popped open, nearly causing him to fall forward.

Toji and Kensuke threw their arms back to protect their eyes, seeing what they never wanted to see.

First was the Red Devil close up where she could get...punchy.

The second was the Ice Queen...in a blue outfit made for working out.

The third was...they were dressed alike.

"My God," said Toji, "it's the end of the world."

"They look like two peas in a pod!" spoke Kensuke, as Hikari's eye twitched.

Shinji just shuffled past them, handing a bag of fish to a happy hot water penguin, and worked his way to the living room, to pass out on the couch. They could deal with each other, he merely wanted to sleep. Even Nao and Kyoko—the name that Unit 02 wished to be called—said he needed to rest, and refused to sync with him until he got some sleep.

So, after two days straight, he was sent home.

On the good side, both EVAs now had S2 organs at seventy nine percent completion, and likely to finish developing by the end of the week.

The bad news was NERV sent him home to sleep, and he was just tired enough to believe he might get some sleep here.

Ah, foolish male.

* * *

Shinji awoke in the middle of the night, feeling...something odd...in the air.

He looked to his left, seeing the silent face of Rei as she slept, her closed eyes showing the signs of REM.

It was to his right he found the problem.

Next to him...was a sleeping Asuka.

_What the hell? She sneaks in here? Pervert's going to blame me for—_

"Mama," came the whimper from the girl, before a tear slid down her face.

Shinji stared at her, trying to resolve the issue now confronting him.

_Damn it!_ After stopping himself from mentally cursing himself, he raised the blanket closer to her chin, tucking her in, before laying his head back down. Tonight, he would let her have some peace, and he would never use this against her.

Like him, he now knew she had demons of her own.

He just prayed they didn't destroy her.

* * *

While the group was celebrating the successful destruction of the two targets. Despite early reservations, the duo had managed to destroy the two cores without causing them to explode.

Of course, cutting communications with Unit 02 afterwards had kept Asuka's victory rhetoric to a bare minimum, and thus prevented more embarrassment.

Shinji however, was asleep at a station, tired from last minute powering of the two EVAs.

"Shinji-kun?"

His tired eyes opened, beholding Rei. "Hey, Rei-chan."

"Are you well?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired. One moment." Concentrating, he slowly brought his S2 organ back online, filling him slowly with energy, and counteracting his tiredness. As long as he didn't run it over forty percent, he wouldn't have to worry about damaging it.

Smiling, he stood up, taking Rei's hand, and escorting her back to the celebration. Fuyutsuki had decided they earned it for redeeming themselves in the world's eyes, and Shinji was determined to see that it was enjoyed...even if Asuka had said fairies weren't allowed.

But the two stopped after entering the break room, as Rei's grip on his hand turned intense. "Rei?"

He caught her as she fell into his arms. "REI!"

By now, the others had noticed, and Misato and Ritsuko were running over to her.

"Rei, what's wrong?" Inside the Geofront, Shinji couldn't sense energy, so he had no idea what could be happening.

"It...it...burns...Shinji-kun!" she managed to say, her voice rising to a scream at the end.

Before any could ask what was burning, her shirt was ripped open in the back...from the inside.

Everyone stood in silence, as Rei stayed in Shinji's arms...two white angelic wings flowing from her back.

* * *

Omake by ShinjitheGoodsharer:

As Kozo made his next move, the board still held his attention. "It also opens more paths for them to sabotage us, old friend."

"Perhaps, but their efforts mean nothing in the end. In the final analysis, it is we who truly control the path of Instrumentality." He then smiled. "F4, to sink your battle ship."

Kozo looked at his student before speaking. "You realize the irony of us playing Battleship while there's a sea battle going on?"

Gendo could only smirk as he replied. "Why do you think we're doing it?"


	9. Trinity

**Chapter 9**

**Trinity**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

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* * *

Misato and Asuka stood nearby, as the Sub Commander had returned to Gendo's office to inform him of the new...change. Shinji sat in silence outside the examination room, as Ritsuko and Maya did a full exam of Rei and her new wings.

He wanted to help them, he really did, but with that damn dead zone inside the Geo-front, he couldn't even tell if Rei had an aura, let alone whether or not the changes were done.

Worse, he had no idea what caused it. He had healed people before, some further to the extent of injury than Rei had been, like Toji's sister—

TOJI'S SISTER!

Now, he knew he was in trouble. If he didn't know what caused Rei to sprout wings, then he really needed to warn Toji and his sister very soon. The last thing he needed was Toji or Naru freaking out.

"I am **so** dead," he muttered, holding his head in his hands.

"Got that right, Fairy Boy," said Asuka. "I bet they'll shoot you for turning Wondergirl into a fairy as well."

He raised his glare to the Second Child. "Maybe I already turned you into one as well, little girl."

Asuka actually paled for a few moments, biting back a retort as the doctors exited.

"Well?" asked Misato.

Ritsuko looked at Shinji. "I'm not fully certain how, but she now has an S2 organ where her appendix was, like you. As for how much ability her wings grant her, you'd be a better judge, but she's in perfect health." She turned back to Shinji after making sure none of the others would jump in with questions. "She wants to see you now."

Sighing, he got up and walked inside, leaving the women alone.

"So," said Misato, "you said you didn't **fully** understand. What **do** you understand?"

Ritsuko sighed as she went through the charts. "The best we can tell something he did— on purpose or accidentally— caused an S2 organ to develop in her. When it reached full development, we are surmising that the wings manifested themselves."

"So everyone he's healed will develop wings?"

Shaking her head, she moved her eyes towards Asuka. "We've examined his guardians, who he's healed dozens of times, and they show no sign of S2 development. I would suggest his use of the EVA may have allowed this, but he hadn't even entered the EVA when he healed Rei."

"Damn!" cursed Misato, "we'll need to have PenPen examined."

Ritsuko pinched the bridge of her nose. "I just know I'm going to regret this, but why do we need to examine your pet?"

Misato chuckled a bit. "Funny story, Rits. We were having a party...apparently Rei can't hold her liquor...PenPen wasn't in the best of moods, so she...clocked him for pecking her wrist."

"And he needed to be healed," said Ritsuko, now certain she really shouldn't have asked.

"Well...she sort of cracked his beak, gave him a concussion, and fractured a rib, according to Shinji."

"I have a dumb question," stated Asuka. "If the damn bird does grow wings, what will happen to his flippers?"

And thus, the girls were lost in a question that would plague people for years; can a hot water penguin have two sets of wings?

* * *

"So," Rei asked him, "what are the changes to my life I must make?"

Shinji was running his palm between the two wings on her back, following her spine. For some reason, he could sense the flows of power in her if he was touching her skin directly; making him consider that maybe this change itself was negating the dead zone, at least in skin-to-skin contact. "Well, I think you should be able to withdraw them like I can with practice, since you seem to be pretty good at maintaining an emotional center. That alone took me over a year to do." He stepped back, moving the wings slightly to see their span. "Hmm, you might even be able to fly with them."

She blinked at that. Dogma had stated that Angels could fly, but surely it was near impossible, as human bones differed from avian bones enough to make mass too much of a problem. "How?"

He smiled. "I'll teach you after we get to Toji's little sister. I need to make certain I'm not recreating humanity in my own image."

* * *

"I really don't get this, man," said Toji, rubbing his face, as Shinji seemed to be using his palm to make certain Naru's spine was correct.

Naru, however, was enjoying the hunky boy coming back again. She remembered when her guardian angel came into her room and revealed himself; not like those yucky false angels that kept trying to hurt everyone.

Hey, remember folks, she's eleven.

"Crud," said Shinji as his hand stopped. "Um...Toji, I got something to tell you about me, and you might freak a bit."

"Don't tell me you got a thing for the Red Devil."

"Nope," he said.

Toji smiled. "Well, then I think I can handle anything else."

13213213213213232132

_Two minutes later, outside the apartment._

"WHAT?"

"Well," said Misato, "he took that well."

* * *

Toji sat down, silently trying to keep from both killing his friend and breaking from reality.

His sister was taking things better, as she felt how soft Shinji's wings were; wondering if she would have soft wings as well.

"Please," said Toji, "explain...**again**."

Taking a deep breath, Shinji explained again. "For some reason, when I healed your sister, I caused a modified S2 organ in her to begin to develop."

"Those are the things that make those Angels not need power cords, right?"

"They ain't angels!" spat Naru, before she resumed preening Shinji's feathers. "He's a real Angel."

"Um...yeah," said Shinji, trying not to feel dirty by Naru's tone. "Anyway, when they reach full development, the sign is angelic wings sprouting out."

"So...what's this mean for us?" asked Toji.

Shinji smiled. "Well, she'll never be sick again, will heal just about any injury, and might be capable of flight."

"I'LL BE ABLE TO FLY?" she screamed.

Shinji nodded. "Yep, but I'll only be able to teach you inside the Geo-front."

"So," said Toji, trying to piece his world back together again, "my sister's becoming an angel like you, but not like the ones trying to kill everyone."

"That is correct," said Rei. She had come with him to further prove the story. Now, she also had to agree with Shinji that it felt much better for the wings to be outside the body. When they were inside, it felt...wrong.

That...and they itched badly. _Perhaps Shinji-kun will teach me how to stop the itching?_

"How long before they come out?" asked Naru, getting giddy at the prospect of flying around in the air.

Shinji closed his eyes, trying to feel the energy growing, and what rate it was doing it at. "About three months at the earliest, five at the longest."

"Yes," exclaimed Naru, "I'll have them before my birthday." _Now, if I can just convince Shinji to take me out for it._

"So, am I going to get wings now?" asked Toji. It wasn't that he thought Shinji was a freak. The fact that the wings existed explained a lot of Asuka's comments about Shinji being a fairy boy, despite the fact Toji knew the guy was straight.

The fact that it pissed off Asuka was a huge point in Shinji's favor.

But if it meant his sister might be bullied for being different, he needed to know if he could help.

Mainly, he wanted to know if they came any other way in case he was getting them. White was not a color for him. _Maybe black wings, with talons on the joints..._

"Well, it's only her and Rei that I healed, but I guess I should check." Shinji did want to comfort his friend, but was also afraid. In his opinion, Toji was taking this **way** too well. Placing his hand along Toji's spine, he was happy to note that no energy pockets were forming, a sign that wings were developing.

He was not happy when he reached the lower spine, and found a small energy pocket forming...just under the large intestine.

"Excuse me for a moment," said Shinji, plastering a smile on his face and stepping outside.

Rei took the twitching of his left eye as a bad sign, and immediately covered up Naru's ears, as Shinji had told her that certain words should not be told in front of young children.

It proved correct when a loud voice began cursing in fourteen languages.

* * *

"Damn, must've been bad news," said Asuka, somewhat impressed with Shinji's vocabulary. She recognized the words from several languages. After all, in college, the first thing you want to learn in any foreign language is how to cuss someone out.

Misato nodded. She had followed the Japanese words, the English words, and the German words. What the others were, she couldn't guess.

But Shinji was going to teach them to her. Oh yes.

* * *

"You're kidding me," said Dr. Senada.

"Nope," said Ritsuko, the screen showing the details of the latest scans from seven random sampled people who either live near Shinji or went to school with him. "It seems that his very presence also creates the buildup. If this holds true for those that develop S2 organs and wings, then it will spread from them as well."

"It sounds like a virus, Sempai," said Maya, looking at the results.

"It's one I hope I catch," said Misato. "Heal any injury, won't need to worry about catching a bug, growing frail—"

"Rotting your liver to alcohol," quipped Ritsuko.

Misato starred at her. "Lung cancer from smoking cigarettes..."

"Ladies, can we please stay on topic here," said Senada. "Now, what has the Commander said?"

Fuyutsuki leaned back in his chair. "Commander Ikari is currently unsure what this development will mean." He turned to Ritsuko. "What impact has this had on Rei's sync score?"

Ritsuko smiled. "She raised her score by twenty points."

"Well," said Misato, "guess that means all pilots get wings now."

Dr. Senada leaned back in his chair as well now. "So, being anywhere near him causes the changes to start, closer proximity and duration increases the rate, healing and co-piloting an EVA increases the rate dramatically; so I take it the Second Child is...slightly distressed."

Misato chuckled. "She promised that she'd kill Shinji if she didn't like the wings' color."

"Quite a personality change in her," said Senada.

Misato smiled. "When she learned that it will help her sync scores, she became all smiles and giggles. Hell, if she knew anyway to get it going faster, she'd force him to do it now." Misato was half tempted to let slip that sex with Shinji might accelerate the development fully, but found she didn't really want to see how far Asuka would go for the superior score.

"Right," said Fuyutsuki, "none of these methods are discussed anywhere near the Second Child." He turned back to Misato. "Did the Suzuhara boy agree to our terms?" They had decided that if Toji was going to become a member of the team sooner than later due to Shinji's influence, then the boy should be of use to NERV to justify the girl's presence for flight training.

It was just coincidence that the Marduk Institute discovered he was the Fourth Child. After all, they didn't need to look for him unless they had an EVA for him or needed to replace a pilot.

"Yes," said Misato, "he's agreed to pilot Unit 03 when it arrives. But I would suggest that the Fifth Child be found soon. While he sees it as a chance to prove himself, the riggers of combat will be his true test." It wasn't that she doubted that Toji would be able to pilot. She just doubted that in the end, he would want to keep piloting after the first time.

Battles were nothing new to Asuka or Rei, who had been training all their lives. For Shinji, one just needed to see him practice in the mornings to know he had also faced some tough fights.

She just didn't know yet how tough some of them had been.

Fuyutsuki nodded. "The Marduk Report also found the Fifth Child; a Kaoru Nagisa. He'll be here in two months time, about the time Units 03 and 04 are going to be shipped here from the US Branches."

Ritsuko blinked. "But I thought they were several months away from completion?"

"It's amazing what time can be saved when you don't need to install S2 engines when we can develop them here in a week's time at no cost," said Fuyutsuki. While he was surprised that the two units were coming so soon, as well as the Fifth Child, he suspected SEELE had more to do with that than anything else. Gendo and he both agreed that the old men were most likely the responsible ones behind JA-00's seemingly random assault on Shinji. If they were afraid of what Shinji might be capable of, then they would most assuredly want more control over NERV and coincidentally, the Third Child.

The Fifth Child would bear closer observation. If he was a SEELE plant, then they would need to take...appropriate measures.

"About damn time," said Misato. "We needed them here the first moment that Angel attacked us, and they just dragged their asses. Now that we have a way for them to save a shitload of money... GOD!"

"The important thing is that they will be here soon," said Senada. "Anyway, JA-01 and 02 are still under repairs. They should be here at roughly the same time. But they are sending JA-03 and its pilot here within the next few days."

"I didn't know a JA needed a pilot," said Ritsuko. "You said they were controlled by super computers."

"JA-00 through 02 are. But JA-03 was an acquisitioned venture we gained when our technology began to make huge leaps. While the initial JA designs didn't call for organic parts, JA-03 includes them, as well as several micro-fusion batteries. They don't last as long as the fusion power modules used in the early JA series, but they can engage a target for a day before running dry."

"Micro-fusion?" asked Fuyutsuki.

"They work on a smaller principle than our main power sources, plus can work in a smaller and controlled environment. The organic tissue surrounding them isn't even inflicted with heat. But I was told the tissue can thrive on the heat if it starts to burn out, and even act as a secondary power source until the cores run dry."

"If not for the S2 organs, we could have used that tech," said Maya with a slight snarl.

"Sorry, but back then, we weren't on working terms," said Senada. "That pilot of yours helped bring this all together."

He left out why JA-03 was even being brought here.

* * *

_Flashback..._

"WAH! She left me again, Senada!" screamed the stocky bald man on the video screen.

Hiroshi Rara: the first, third, and sixth husband of Ayuko. He was project head of Trident: a cybernetic unit built expressly to fight the angels, as well as compete with NERV as a viable alternative. Sadly, like the EVAs, it also required a young pilot born after Second Impact.

Rara was now begging for his rival: Ken Senada, to use his prototype unit in the fight against the Angels. If it proved useful, then not only would he get a huge bonus, but he would also get a request for more of them, as Senada had done with his JA series.

"Get a hold of yourself, Rara," yelled Senada. "Ayuko left you three years ago when we bought out your project. Hell, you knew it was coming."

"But we had so much history!"

"She also named my daughter from her the same name as your daughter so she wouldn't get confused."

That did little to comfort the bald man.

"Fine," said Senada. He was used to these little emotional outbursts from his friend/rival. After all, he was Ayuko's second husband.

Thank god he got married soon afterwards, or he might have been tempted to be the fourth or fifth husband.

Unlucky bastards.

"Send me the data on JA-03 and its pilot."

"Sure thing, old buddy," said Rara, his tears gone and his face in a full smile.

Senada stared at the data. "So your pilot has shown no signs of rejection?"

"Not one bit," claimed Rara. "One of our...backer's gifts...enabled us to find away around the feedback problems. They called it a dummy soul, but we tweaked it a bit and call it the Artificial Soul Interface Unit."

"So JA-03 is sentient?"

"In a way. It relies heavily on the pilot for a rapport, but she's developed a relationship with the Trident in terms of siblings."

Senada had to smile at that. One of the major drawbacks with AI was that it tends to not consider emotional aspects, ignoring "gut" reactions. If the ASIU developed by Rara could be adapted to work with the JA super computers, the systems would be more likely to work well in solo missions instead of needing human supervisors. "Interesting work, Rara. How soon can they arrive?"

"The pilot can be there in a few days. The equipment and the Trident are a bit difficult. We can have them there and set up in a month."

"Why so long?" Senada asked.

"Well...we sort of..." he mumbled off.

"Excuse me?"

"Damn it, we sort of integrated everything into our headquarters, so we need to make it mobile again!"

Senada just laughed. Trust it to Rara to forget that such operations needed to occasionally go mobile.

* * *

"And who is the pilot of this...Trident?" asked Fuyutsuki.

Senada pulled out a folder. "Her name is Mana Kirishima."

* * *

Gendo sat and watched as data scrolled through his holographic screen in his office.

Things were changing rapidly...almost too rapidly to be dealt with.

But not for him.

He knew more of what was happening than the old men of SEELE would ever discover.

His son was altering people. Gendo could only reason that this was due to his healing of Rei. Since Rei was the blood of Lilith, and Shinji had the blood of Adam literally injected into him, the boy had somehow spawned a field that was jumpstarting human evolution along his image.

Whether or not this would have also resulted from Instrumentality was hard to say.

But the results could not be ignored.

And if Shinji was in actual communications with the souls inside the EVAs...

Gendo himself had been tempted to spend more time around Shinji in the very least, as well as up his meetings with Rei now that she had ascended. Though Dr. Akagi's tests had shown that an S2 organ was also developing within him, it was barely at 0.1 percent. At this rate, it might be years, if not a decade, before it fully developed. And the data had suggested Rei's proximity to Shinji had helped her develop faster.

But it was enough for him to feel...something...coming from inside Unit 01.

So, he was now at a fork in the road. In one hand, he had Instrumentality as a way to reclaim his lost love.

In the other, he had a son that SEELE was intent on either capturing to study, or eliminating as a threat to their scenario.

So, now, he was forced to wonder which path would lead him to Yui, as well as which path would lead her to him, and return them to the happiness they knew before the Angels.

But like most planners, Gendo was also determined to see first if he could have his cake and eat it too.

The question was: did he have time to find out?

* * *

It was a busy day in Tokyo-3's shopping district, as people were using the relative calm to try and enjoy life again.

This fact held true for one redheaded pilot with her neural connectors still decorating her hair. "Lucky!" she squealed, clinging to Kaji's arm. "I'm so lucky that I can go shopping with you today, Kaji."

What she didn't know was that the other EVA pilots considered themselves the lucky ones. Since learning of what having wings could do to her sync score, Asuka had been spending more time with Shinji.

Though this did not lower her insults, it did make her smile on the fact that her presence was upsetting "Wondergirl".

Kaji just plastered on a smile. While he had hoped that Asuka might develop some interest in the Third Child, it appeared that no matter what, the girl still saw him as a paragon of manliness.

Great ego boost, until you saw the occasional stare from someone who suspected it was more than a crush.

That was also worsened by the fact of where exactly Asuka wanted to go shopping.

"What the? Isn't this the swimsuit section?" asked Kaji as Asuka dragged him along, causing mental klaxons to go off.

"Hey! Hey! How about this one?" Asuka asked, holding out a red striped swimsuit.

Kaji took one look at it, remembered where he was, and let a little fear slip into his appearance. "Slow down, school girl. You're a little young for something like that."

"You're just being an old fuddy-duddy, Mr. Kaji," she said, holding it up. "This is what is in fashion these days." Holding it up also hid her smirk, as she realized the back was perfect should a little something...develop.

* * *

The two had now sat down at an outdoor café, enjoying the time off their feet.

"Oh really," said Kaji.

"I'm so anxious about this school trip, I just know we'll have a great time."

"And just where is this trip to?" he asked out of curiosity.

"O-ki-na-wa!" she cheered. "We're even scheduled to go scuba diving!" It was one past time she had never got to experience in Germany, with Neo-Berlin not having ready access to deep enough water to justify it outside of the base's pool.

"Scuba-diving..." said Kaji, his mind delving into his own times with that activity, and not all of them involved him trying to sneak in or out of somewhere or a hail of gunfire. It included one of the few actual dates him and Misato had had in college. "It's been three years since I last went scuba-diving."

"Say, where did you go for your school trip?" Asuka asked.

"Well...we didn't have one."

"Why not?" Asuka couldn't imagine a reason **not **to have a trip.

"Oh, a little thing called Second Impact."

* * *

Asuka was having a bad day. First, a new girl arrived in school today, whom she found out was the pilot of a new JA-type. Then she learned she would be working soon with one of the stooges, as **he** had been selected to pilot. This was followed by both piloting stooges promising to put in a good word for the remaining stooge so that he could become a pilot.

That thought alone made Asuka promise to slit her own wrists if such a thing occurred; for in her opinion, mankind was surely doomed to a painful end.

Another had come at lunch when the new girl; Mana, had taken **her** spot near Shinji, to ask him questions about this place, as well as working for NERV.

Not that the winged pilot was beginning to earn a spot in her heart. He was simply a means to an end. She wanted the higher sync score, and if wings would do it, then wings she'd get; and still be better than the other pilots.

So, she had come home, in the hopes that soon, she would be enjoying the pristine beeches of Okinawa.

Sadly, that too was taken from her.

"WHAT?"

PenPen sighed. He really was beginning to enjoy that bath.

* * *

"I can't go on the trip?" cried Asuka, slapping the table.

Misato put down her beer. "Right."

"And why not?" asked Asuka, trying to keep from leaping over the table and throttling the woman.

"Because we're on standby for combat duty," said Rei, as she tried some more of the food Shinji had prepared, claiming it would help keep her feathers shiny.

"I wasn't told anything about that," she said, sitting back down and staring at the two other pilots.

Shinji just continued to eat, not turning to face her. "We work for an organization that fights Angels to save the world. Vacations aren't exactly something we get...not without a lot of backup pilots."

"Well then why the hell haven't I heard about it before now?"

"I thought it was obvious," said Misato. "I mean, you didn't see Shinji or Rei packing; did you?"

"I do not like the beach," said Rei.

Shinji just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not feeling like much of an outdoors attitude at the moment."

Misato blinked. "You're telling me you two weren't planning on going?"

"Nope," they said, resuming the consumption of their meal...oddly in perfect sync.

"So I'm stuck here with the fairy kids and the new piloting stooges?"

"Actually," Shinji interjected, "Toji gets to go because his EVA hasn't arrived. Did Mana say she was going, Rei?"

"She did not inform us of any choice regarding the matter, Shinji-kun."

Misato just blinked, before turning back to Asuka. "Well, I'm telling you now, Asuka: don't plan any vacations or trips."

"And like that, I can't go, huh?" asked Asuka. "And who the hell decided that stupid half-assed idea?"

"Me," said Misato, "the Operations Planning Manager."

Huffing, she turned towards the other pilots. "And you two are just fine with these restrictions?"

Rei turned to her. "We are not...vacation people."

"Asuka, I know how you feel," said Misato, setting her beer down. "But there is no other way. There's always the chance an Angel may attack while you're away."

"Why the hell do we always have to be on standby?" Asuka asked. "Why can't we go on the offensive for once and attack them instead of always being ready for an enemy that may or may not be coming?"

"If we could do that, we'd already have done it, Asuka," came the exasperated reply from Misato.

"Then have fairy boy tell you where they are!"

"Sure thing, Asuka," said Shinji. "But first, please be so kind as to point out on a map where the others all came from first; would you?"

The redhead sputtered, but stayed silent, choosing to glare at him instead.

What Shinji decided to keep quiet about was that he could sense them. Misato and Ritsuko knew it, and he was relatively sure Rei knew so as well. But that sense was useless beyond fifty kilometers.

Strangely, that ability had been growing as well, making him wonder exactly how long it would be before he **could** sense where they were coming from.

Maybe...even pierce the dead zone around the Geo-front.

"Besides," Shinji said, "thanks to you yelling at me to get your wings to come out, you might reach ascension any day now, and I doubt you want that to be in front of the others."

"Anyway," interjected Misato, "think of this as a time to catch up. While the rest of your class is on the trip, the three of you can study.

"Or do you think I don't know about these?" Misato then held up three disks.

"If you thought I wouldn't know about your test scores unless you told me, they're forwarded to my terminal at HQ."

Rei did not return her glance. "My grades are currently at one hundred percent."

Shinji just sighed. "My grades would be, too. But they take off points for absences. Sure, I save them from certain death, but apparently being in the hospital isn't a good enough excuse for missing a test."

"It's ridiculous; this school's grades are meaningless." Asuka then turned serious. "This old fashioned numeric grading scales you use on your exams are meaningless to me."

Rei turned towards Shinji. "I was aware that the numeric grading scale offered advantages that were not available in the letter grading scale."

"It does," Shinji smirked. "But Ms. "I'm a college grad" here seems to have forgotten that."

"At least I **have** graduated from college!"

Shinji just smiled. "So have I, but at least I can still pass Junior High school classes."

"ARGH!" Asuka soon stormed off to her room.

Rei was once again glad she had moved her things into Shinji's room when the Second Child had moved in. "Perhaps we should have her put to sleep, I believe she is rabid."

* * *

"Post the survey data from Mt. Asama from Balthasar to Melchior as soon as possible."

This information was mostly useless to the so-called "Bridge Bunnies", as they were enjoying their small breaks from active duty.

However, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi was still busy, going over data from the latest tests done on Shinji, Rei, and the quickly ascending Asuka. "A school trip? That's pretty casual behavior for times like these."

Dr. Ken Senada was busy at his own laptop, filling out the needed forms to get supplies to the air hanger at the airport ready for the arrival of JA-03: Trident. "Not surprising. Sometimes the best idea is to try and move on and make life feel normal, even with all that is happening."

"So true," said Misato. "It's exactly because of times like this that they want to have a little fun while they still can."

* * *

Rei was swimming her laps, trying to see how much her stamina was changing due to her new abilities. So far, like Shinji, she was feeling...more alive, was the term he used...than before. So far, her new S2 organ was far superior to her old one, allowing her to feel almost boundless energy. Her lessons on flying were coming along well, and Shinji soon felt that she would soon be able to fly short distances.

Shinji was by a table, laptop open, but his mind elsewhere. He was currently meditating, trying to push his way past the dead zone, and sense things inside the Geo-Front.

The inability to feel beyond what his five senses could tell him was the most unsettling thing Shinji had ever encountered. For him, his unique ability was both a curse and a blessing. In this instance, he knew it was only a matter of time before an Angel finally did make its way inside the Geo-front. If it did, he wouldn't be able to sense any movements, and power buildups, or any sneak attacks.

The fact that it was most likely connected to his hollow father seemed to be enough of a reason to find a way around it.

"Hey, what are you up to?"

Sadly, inner peace and self discovery were not going to be achieved today, as the voice of the Second Child brought him out of his inner musings. "Trying to figure out a few things about my powers."

"My, my, such an inquisitive little man, aren't you?"

"I have to be. I can't depend on those who know the truth to tell me anything I can't be willing to find out for myself." He then made the mistake of opening his eyes and looking at the Second Child...

Who was currently sporting the very revealing bikini she had purchased for her trip.

Shinji was currently looking at a sight many males in his school would give their arms for.

"You know you're a little young to be wearing that?"

Luckily, Shinji was not one of those males who was blindsided by hormones.

If Asuka heard him, she gave no sign of it. "Well, since I can't go scuba diving in Okinawa, I'll be doing it here!"

"Is that so?" said Shinji, trying not to sound like he truly didn't care about the conversation. The Second Child was proving to be quite the paradox to him. In public, she tended to yell at him. In home, she tended to be somewhat civil, more so when she learned of what wings could do to your sync score. At night, she often cried and had nightmares, forcing Shinji to use his energy to try and give her pleasant dreams, as he had to occasionally do for Misato.

One cried for a lost mother, the other cried for a lost father, and Shinji was no closer to knowing why. They would tell him in due time, or whenever he felt the information was needed; whichever came first.

Lately though, and to what he was certain was to Rei's annoyance; Asuka had been somewhat friendlier to him. He was...relatively certain...he wasn't accidentally brainwashing people; though Misato was commenting that Ritsuko had inquired about the apartment next door, and Shinji was relatively certain that the woman was becoming more sociable.

Even Rei had commented that the doctor was treating her better; though she didn't elaborate on how she was treated beforehand.

But still, it did little to explain Asuka's sudden change in moods towards him, unless the girl was determined to prove that she was worthy of so much attention, that by ignoring her for the most part, Shinji had somehow challenged her to make him desire her company and more. He'd have to remember to talk to Usagi; his friend before moving to Tokyo-3, about that, as women were definitely not something he was well versed on.

"So, what are you working on?" she asked, bending forward and giving him a prime view of her bust.

Shinji just turned to his computer. "Nothing much, just some old correspondence I've been meaning to catch up on."

"Oh, any girlfriends, Third Child?" she teased.

He just shook his head. "Nope. Someone I occasionally play online chess with, a few game sites I'm a member of, and some friends from my old school before Darth Asshole called me here."

"Don't like the Commander, do you?"

"Do you like your father?"

"Point taken," she said, standing back up.

"So," said Shinji, standing back up and shutting down his computer, "why are you having such trouble with classes?"

She sighed. "Well, I can't figure out what the questions say in time. I'm having a little trouble with the kanji. I didn't have to study it in college."

She then sat opposite of him, leaning over again. "So, what did you study in college?"

Shinji looked at her eyes again, focusing on those. He was very good at making a person feel they had his full attention. "Languages, medical, historical... I took a bunch of everything."

"Got any degrees?"

"A couple."

"Then why are you in school?"

"Because there are some things you can't learn from a book, and friends as well as social skills are just a few of them. Besides, it gets boring after a while learning all the time."

She giggled. "I take it most of those college courses were via the internet?"

He shook his head. "Well, I'm not what you call a traditional student."

"Not a boring boy too often, are you?" She stood and left.

This again brought up her dichotomy. Just now, they had had somewhat of a pleasant conversation, which could be viewed to show that she did not go outright and demand his attention, nor insult him on any level. Asuka was a paradox to him.

Then again, most women in his opinion were a paradox; and he'd rather work on mysteries that he might solve within his lifetime...like the meaning of all existence.

Hearing Rei leave the water, he turned towards her as she dried off. Between him and Asuka, one would assume that the Children were at least highly intelligent to the point of being upper level geniuses.

But to his knowledge, Rei had not bothered to test the limits of her knowledge, content to go to school, but never really be a part of it.

But then, considering who her legal guardian was until Shinji arrived, he was surprised she wasn't in a clock tower picking off the un-deserving.

"Hey, Shinji, look here!"

_Of course, the theory that she craves all the attention around her is starting to hold more validity._

He turned to face Asuka.

"Back roll entry!" she said, as she fell into the water to begin scuba diving.

"I was unaware she had been hired to clean the pool," said Rei from behind him.

Shinji sighed as he went back to meditating. Living alone was starting to look better to him for some reason.

Quietly, he offered a prayer to whatever vengeful spirit was controlling his fate that another person didn't move into the apartment. He really needed to find a place to hang out where no one would find him. He needed some alone time, and not in the perverted way.

* * *

Above the active volcano of Mt. Asama, a NERV helicopter was hovering.

Inside the geographical survey station, Misato was watching the video feed of a probe being sent down to investigate an unknown shadow within the magma. The MAGI were uncertain what it could be, but her instincts were telling her that anything unknown...had to be tied to an Angel.

"You've gone too deep!" called out one member of the research station, not wanting their new probe to be destroyed.

"Not yet, please descend another 500, please." She was determined to get to the bottom of this, and find out if her gut feeling was correct.

At 1200 meters, the pressure resistant partition was beginning to crack. But Misato kept it going, wanting her answers.

The tech reminded her again that the probe was not resistant to the pressures at that depth, but she told him they would pay for the damages if it broke, and asked Makoto to drop it another 200 meters.

"We're monitoring a reaction," said Makoto.

"Begin analysis!" said Misato.

Soon, the probe imploded due to the extreme pressures at that depth.

"Did you get it?" asked Misato.

"Yes, ma'am. Pattern Blue. It's an Angel."

As she began to secure the facility, Misato didn't know whether to be happy that they found an Angel, or upset that now she'd have to send the Children after it.

* * *

Gendo sat in his office. Thanks to his efforts, the council had approved the plan to capture the Angel.

Whether or not this would proceed better than what had resulted in Second Impact was unknown. The price for failure in this would have been the extinction of the entire human race.

But, if it panned out, then he would be closer to understanding how things might go now in his new scenario.

* * *

"So that's an Angel," said Shinji. "Looks more like a bad frog egg to me."

"Well, this is the chrysalis form, prior to reaching its adult stage, and marching onto Tokyo-3 like a Godzilla reject." Ritsuko turned towards the pilots. "The mission's prime objective is to capture this Angel. We must capture it alive and in a form as close to the original state as possible."

"And if we fail or it gets jumpy?" asked Asuka.

"Then you will terminate it immediately. Any questions?"

"No!"

"The designated pilot for this operation is—"

"Hey, let me!" exclaimed Asuka. "I dive!"

"Yes," said Rei, "she was able to also thoroughly clean the pool as well."

"Quiet, Wondergirl," spat Asuka.

Shinji stayed quiet. _Doubtful. They'd either send me because of my reserves, or Rei. But...if they don't...would that mean something about my past might be a danger?_

"I was going to say you, Asuka, before you interrupted," said Ritsuko. "You will carry out the mission using Unit 02."

"Sure, it'll be easy, and I'll be done before I turn fairy."

Shinji just began rubbing his temples again, finding that damn headache coming back.

"And me?" asked Rei.

"The type of equipment we'll be using hasn't been standardized to work with the prototype unit yet, Rei," said Maya.

"Rei and Unit 00 will stay at headquarters and remain on standby," said Ritsuko.

"Understood," said Rei, though quietly she was smiling at the fact she would be rid of Asuka for some time.

"Oh, too bad," teased Asuka. "You don't get to go to the hot springs."

"She can come after the mission's been completed," said Ritsuko, surprising Asuka. "Now, an A-17 has been ordered, so we must scramble immediately, so go get ready."

"Yes, ma'am!" they said.

* * *

Asuka felt a sense of betrayal when she pressurized her suit. "The heat resistant plug suit doesn't seem any different than our old ones."

"Press the switch on your right wrist." Ritsuko made sure Asuka couldn't see her looking in that direction. _This...will be priceless._

Asuka pressed the switch. "What the hell?" she screamed, as the suit ballooned outward, trapping her between the two lockers.

Ritsuko could only smirk, remembering an old pre-impact commercial. _Hey, Kool-aid!_ "Unit 02 is also ready, so let's go."

* * *

Shinji kept his hand touching the exposed portion of Unit 02, feeding it energy. _Okay, Kyoko; that should allow you to strengthen the suit to withstand the higher pressures safely._

"**Thank you, Shinji. Will I be required to fight this...Angel...as well?"**

_Don't know. If Asuka had wings, you'd have an easier time, but I'm not certain how long even I could survive in that hell, let alone without an EVA. Just be careful and conserve what energy you can in case our target does get a sudden desire for a growth spurt._

"**Understood, I shall not fail Asuka."**

_I'd be happier if both of you came back safe and sound without a scratch._

This touching moment was soon interrupted by a high pitched shriek. "NOOOOOO! I don't believe it!"

Shinji hopped off Unit 02, down onto the floor, and next to Dr. Akagi and a slightly plumper Asuka, reminding him of an old movie that had a girl eat some candy she shouldn't have, and plumped up like a blueberry.

"This suit is designed to protect you from heat, pressure, and nuclear radiation. Plus, Shinji gave your EVA a boost to help its AT Field reinforce that protection. This is the Type-D equipment, for combat under extreme environmental duress."

"Is...is that my Unit 02?" She stood, looking through the glass faceplate at the four eyes of Unit 02, which seemed...saddened to be in the suit.

"No way!" she yelled, turning towards the group. "I quit! I don't want to appear in public in this dorky outfit! This is the sort of thing we have Shinji for!"

Shinji turned to Ritsuko. "I'll do it, Unit 02 trusts me already."

"I'm so disappointed," came a voice from the catwalks, revealing Kaji. "I was anticipating on seeing Asuka's gallant figure in battle!"

"NO!" she screamed, running from the room and hiding in the doorway. "I can't let Mr. Kaji see me in this awful thing."

The others sighed. Asuka was still not getting the fact that this was not a beauty contest.

Sadly, another person had other ideas.

* * *

Fuyutsuki was wondering why this was forced upon him by his former student.

Ayuko just smiled. "As you can see, we already have sponsors signed aboard, as well as future plans for a great bit of the earnings from NERV technology coming from the private sector, easily eclipsing your current budget." She was determined to be able to make a profit from this war.

After all, all wars were basically about profit in one way or another, even if that profit was power itself. And NERV tech stood to make trillions in the open market in just the first few months alone.

Fuyutsuki did perk up at that. If they had other venues for funds, then they wouldn't have to crawl to the old men so often for more funds, or worry about UN budget cuts, which seemed to be also pushed for by the old men to soften up their defenses for when SEELE would want their plans to come about.

Plus, as he held the Third Angel plushie, he couldn't help but think it...cute. _Been spending **way** to much time with the grandchildren._

* * *

Shinji ignored the shiver going down his spine to focus on the conversation.

"I take it we're having some problems?"

"Somewhat, yes," said Ritsuko.

Shinji raised his hand to say he would do it, but was cut off by Rei. "I will pilot Unit 02."

Shinji turned towards his friend. "Rei? Why?"

"My job is to protect Unit 01 and its pilot. I am much easier to replace than you, Shinji-kun."

"Damn it, Rei, I thought we went over this."

Depending on whose view you took, Rei's volunteering did get Asuka back from self-absorbed to competitive again. She ran back into the room and slapped Rei's raised arm back down. "No! I don't want you touching **my** Unit 02!" She turned back to Dr. Akagi. "I'd rather do it than let her take my place!"

She then turned to face Unit 02 again. "I'm sorry for the dress, please forgive me!"

Shinji couldn't help but see the smirk coming from Rei as she left, making him wonder how much of her volunteering was really to "protect" him.

* * *

The laser bore had just finished blasting a path clear for Unit 02 to descended into the magma.

"Hey, isn't Kaji here yet?" asked Asuka.

"That male gigolo won't be coming here!" cried out Misato. "He's got no business being here!"

"Damn," said Asuka as Misato's screen disappeared. "And I wanted him to see how great I am."

Shinji was looking more at the planes circling his location. "What are they still doing here?

Ritsuko informed him over the communications line. _"They've been ordered to stay here until the operation is over."_

Asuka was excited. "You mean they're here to help us?"

"_No," _said Ritsuko, _"they're here to clean up...in case we fail."_

"Damn," said Shinji. "I know it's nothing personal, but it still hurts."

"What are you two talking about?"

"_They will employ N2 depth charges to destroy the Angel and us with it."_

"Told you it was harsh."

"Stuff it, Third."

"Well, can you take a guess Asuka who would order something like that?"

"_That's right, Shinji, Commander Ikari ordered it."_

"Great to know I have his confidence," spat out Shinji.

With the laser operation complete, the laser itself was moved off the crane, and Unit 02 loaded on.

"_Asuka, are you ready?"_ asked Misato.

"Anytime you are."

"_Launch!"_ said Misato, as Unit 02 was lowered into the inferno.

She was worried about the lava, but tried to keep her cool, calling out to Shinji. "Hey, Shinji, look at this: Giant Stroke Entry!" she cried out, as the EVA entered the lava.

_Showoff!_ It didn't keep the smile from forming on his lips, at how well she was...progressing. _Now, if only we could find out who keeps sneaking that stick up her ass every morning...?_

* * *

"Sempai," said Maya, "depth is at 1020; that puts us at the maximum safety depth."

Ritsuko just smiled. "Look at the gauges; the pressure isn't even at a tenth of what it should be." _Shinji really came through for us on this one. And since Unit 02 has a S2 organ, we were able to give it extra coolant._

"But Sempai?"

"Trust us, Maya; we've got this well in hand. Just make certain the gauges don't spike. We have no idea what the reinforcement field of the EVA will do when she comes in contact with the target."

She nodded, turning back to the screen. "Depth at 1300. Unit 02 has reached the estimated target level."

"Asuka, can you see anything?" asked Misato.

"_No reactions detected, it's not here."_

"Shinji?"

"_It's down farther, and it's still asleep."_

Misato nodded. "If the gauges are still good, continue descent."

So, Unit 02 continued its descent, with Misato now promising Asuka that they would use the local hot springs after they were finished.

"_Misato,"_ said Shinji, _"she's getting closer to it."_

"MAGI have recalculated its depth," said Makoto. "It should near her position in under a minute."

"Evangelion Unit 02 has lost its progressive knife."

"Damn," said Misato. "Shinji, if things go bad, get ready to drop your knife to her."

"_Misato, if things go bad, I'm heading down to help her. My AT Field might buy me ten minutes at least."_

"_Baka, I won't need your help!"_

"_Then get it right the first time, Asuka."_

At a depth of 1780, the descent was paused, as the MAGI indicated that this was where it would be now. Knowing she would only get one shot at it, Asuka waited, cage ready, for the Angel egg to drift closer.

She then smiled at her own greatness as the Angel egg was captured in the electromagnetic cage, and began her ascent.

That was until Shinji screamed out over the Comm. _"Asuka, look out!"_

She was about to ask what he was referring to, when she heard it.

The Angel had woken up.

* * *

"Oh no!" screamed Ritsuko. "It's begun to hatch!"

"_Progressive Knife is on its way!"_

"Asuka, ditch the cage!" said Ritsuko, as the Angel began to break through it.

"Okay," said Misato. "The mission has changed from capture to terminate. Go for it, Asuka!"

Makoto chimed in. "Progressive knife will arrive in ten seconds!"

Everyone was so intent on watching the battle; they never heard the frightened tech from outside say Unit 01 had jumped into the lava...with four wings flowing from its back.

* * *

"Releasing ballast!" said Asuka, as the Angel approached her, launching her upward with enough momentum to avoid the Angel's charge, her hand extended to grab the progressive knife and deploy it.

She turned around, trying to find the Angel, when a sudden force hit her from behind, severely jarring her, and breaking her seat restraints, thrusting her to impact the side of the plug, and hit her head.

Asuka grabbed her head, pain lancing through it, as she made her way back to her seat; images beginning to blur, but not enough to show that she still had the knife in hand.

She could make out the voices coming over the radio, telling her she was injured. The taste in her mouth letting her know that she most likely had a mild concussion.

Her system beeped, letting her know that the Angel had returned.

"I...I will...I will...win," she weakly called out, as she tried to raise the knife to strike the Angel.

But a blur with four wings came down before the Angel got near her, savagely trying to kill the beast, before Asuka passed out.

* * *

Shinji screamed as his fists started to try and crush the shell of the Angel, his legs wrapped tightly around the beast, the tentacles tried to secure the raging EVA, a countdown timer had appeared as Reika had calculated how much time he could stay in the lava before his AT Field would no longer protect him.

"Asuka, get ready to use your coolant on it, we'll use it to crack its shell!" he screamed, only to receive no reply.

He chanced a look at Asuka's hologram, only to see her slumped forward in her chair, a large bruise on her forehead.

He resumed his attention towards the Angel as his timer reached nine minutes. If Asuka was awake, then they could use her coolant to cause the Angel's superheated shell to crack easily. Otherwise, it would be like trying to crush a diamond.

But with her out cold, the coolant was all that was keeping both Asuka and Kyoko from frying in the intense heat.

"I hate days like this," he spat, as the Angel tried to latch onto his face as he increased pressure from his legs, hoping for a miracle.

* * *

_Where am I?_

Asuka came to in a dark void, not really certain what had happened. The void soon began to take solid forms, but it was a voice that caught her attention.

"I want to show you something, Asuka-chan."

Asuka turned to see... "Mama?"

The woman gave no sign of hearing the girl, carrying a bundle that was a small child with red hair, smiling at the woman. "Take a look, Asuka-chan."

Both the small child and Asuka turned to see what Asuka's mother was pointing to. "That's my Unit 02!"

"Four eyes!" squealed the child, "four eyes!"

"That's right, Asuka," said the woman. "This is an Evangelion. Can you say Evangelion?"

"E-pan-pelican!" the child cried out.

The woman giggled. "Close enough." The woman turned slightly more serious as Asuka walked up to her, recognizing the child now...as herself.

"Asuka-chan, you have a special destiny ahead of you, to help change the world for the better, and protect us from a threat we brought upon ourselves." The woman shook her head. "You're a very important child, Asuka-chan, and I'm making this for you so that you can fulfill that destiny to be a hero."

"YEAH! HERO ASUKA TO DA RESCUE!" yelled the child pumping her young hands into the air.

"Mama made Unit 02?" Asuka asked. She had no idea her mother had been part of the design of her EVA.

Mrs. Soryu giggled. "Yes, Asuka-chan. You'll be a great hero, one of the children destined to save mankind. And remember, no matter what, I will always be proud of you...as long as you learn to keep your clothes on."

Asuka nearly facefaulted at hearing that. "WHAT?"

"I swear; I'm going to have to place clothes around NERV just for when you start streaking again."

"I am not a pervert!" screamed older Asuka.

Chibi-Asuka just nodded her head, still staring at the partially completed giant.

It was then that Asuka noticed her mother was no longer looking at the EVA or her younger self...but directly at her. "I'm so proud of you, Asuka. Never forget that. I love you, my daughter."

And then the world began to fade to black again.

Asuka rushed forward towards the fading image of her mother. "MAMA!"

"I love you, Asuka. Now, go save the world."

"MAMA!"

* * *

"Sync ratio of the Second Child is rising again!" said Maya. When Asuka had passed out, her EVA ceased all functioning, as Shinji battled the Angel to protect her, since the Angels attack had caused the umbilical cord to catch. The techs were currently trying to get it moving again, so they could extract the EVAs. "Sync at 27...67...87...107...125..."

Ritsuko smiled. "She's ascending!"

* * *

Shinji was snarling as he punched the Angel once again in the mouth, trying to break through; his timer now at three minutes. "Why won't you just fucking DIE!"

A bright light seemed to develop in the area, catching both participants' attention, as Shinji turned...and saw two bright wings leap out from the back of Unit 02.

"Asuka, you awake yet?"

"Shinji...what...what's going on?"

"Talk later; I need you to get a coolant hose shoved in this pervert's mouth."

"_I get it," _said Ritsuko, _"thermal expansion!"_

"Transfer all coolant pressure to cable three, hurry!" she screamed, as the cable was shoved into the Angel's mouth.

Soon, the coolant surged out of the cable, flooding the Angel from the inside.

Shinji grabbed the tentacles; using his feet now to push off the Angel and try to rip them lose. "NOW, ASUKA!"

Unit 02 slammed the progressive knife into the enemy, forcing it deeper and deeper into the core.

The Angel, screaming as it began to die, took a last swipe at the offending unit before falling apart, slashing Asuka's cables.

Shinji quickly reoriented himself as the shell of the Angel broke apart, seeing Asuka's damaged cable, and grabbing both cut ends, to support the EVA. Asuka was still new to her wings, and Shinji was certain she wouldn't be able to swim with them...yet.

Of course, as the cable was slowly beginning to be reeled in, he also realized that his protective AT Field would fail long before they reached the surface. He had less than two minutes before both he and Reika would feel the full environment crushing onto them.

Asuka looked at her view screen, seeing a countdown timer appear. Her protective suit had been breached in several areas during the final death throes of the Angel. _Wait...if I am exposed now...Shinji has been for longer..._ Worry began to fill her mind as her screen now showed Unit 01's timer, which read he had two minutes left.

Asuka would never have expected Shinji to throw his life away to save her. She knew he was the type to do it; the perpetual boy scout. But to see him actually do it...

Her pride surged forward. _I won't owe him!_ Her AT Field surged, breaking off the suit's arms and legs, returning the Unit's own appendages to the working environment. Using them, she climbed up towards Unit 01. "Shinji, start climbing...NOW!"

Smiling, he obeyed, as the two began to ascend up the cable, hoping to reach the surface before the protective AT Field failed.

As Asuka followed behind him, staying close enough where she could grab onto his legs if the cables failed again, she couldn't help but smile. "Idiot, what a showoff," she said, a smile on her face.

She didn't know her channel to Shinji was still open.

Seeing her smile, he continued his trek upwards. _Idiot, I will protect everyone._

_I always protect...my friends._

* * *

"Hello?" called out a female voice. "Is anyone here?"

The door to the hot spring resort opened, revealing a tad clad Shinji, with his wings hidden, to the visitors, which were a paled skinned girl named Rei, a bug eyed girl named Mana who was currently taking in the appearance of the shirtless Shinji, and an excitable hot spring penguin looking like he had just found heaven. "Hey, guys. Glad to see you made it."

Rei nodded, as PenPen began frantically looking around. Mana was still stuck on Shinji.

Shinji, staying oblivious, just smiled. "Come on, I'll lead you to the changing rooms. Just don't forget your supplies.

PenPen quickly followed the kind one, while Rei dragged Mana behind her.

* * *

Misato, Ritsuko, and Asuka sighed as they enjoyed the hot waters. The other members would be there tomorrow after everything had been shipped back to NERV. The Evangelions had managed to make it out of the volcano before their timers expired, meaning they were safe to touch and eject from when they reached the surface.

Of course, they still got yelled at for being reckless, as well as Asuka receiving an exam to make certain her head injury was not too bad.

Then of course came the yelling from Asuka towards Shinji.

Her wings...were bright pink.

"Now **this**," said Misato, as she enjoyed another beer, "is what I fight for."

The others nodded, as a the changing room door opened, revealing a tad clad Rei with her wings out, as well as a embarrassed Mana and a happy penguin, who immediately plunged into the waters and began swimming along, making sounds of pleasure.

"Where is Shinji-kun?" asked Rei.

"Damn, Wondergirl, these are separate baths. He's over in the men's area."

"Why don't you go get him, Rei?" teased Misato.

"You shouldn't have done that, Misato," said Ritsuko, watching as Rei nodded and bounded over the wall, causing Mana's jaw to drop, as she quickly submerged herself in the waters.

"What's the harm in teasing?" said Misato, her eyes still closed.

The answer was a screaming angelic boy launched over the wall, and splashing into the water.

Rei soon followed, landing lightly. "Shinji-kun, it is much more preferable if we are together."

The girl just stared as Shinji slowly sat up with his head above water, eyes closed. "Rei, the baths are separate for a reason."

Asuka just stared. She saw...it...while he was flipping in the air from what she assumed was Rei tossing him. Now, she could either yell that he was a pervert and attack, or she could tease him. Hmm...

Mana's mind was currently frozen at what she had witnessed, and could make no further inputs until her systems resumed normal functioning status.

Misato and Ritsuko stared, eyes wide as well; each promising that they **really** needed to find men of their own soon.

PenPen resumed his swimming, not caring at all what the humans did.

Rei smiled as she sat near Shinji, enjoying this time together.

Shinji just sighed. _Well, I'll ask about Misato's scar later. After all, they **would** kill me if they knew I saw anything right now._

_But...I JUST WANTED SOME ME-TIME!_


	10. Measure of a Man

**Chapter 10**

**Measure of a Man**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

As the group packed their things to leave the spa, Shinji had finally managed to isolate Misato for a talk in the provided room of the resort. It had been hard. Rei had hovered around him, once again in protective mode. Mana just caught sight of him, blushed, and wandered away. Ritsuko and PenPen were content to spend some more time inside the springs; their packing already done.

How a penguin that arrived with nothing had something to pack was a bit curious, but Shinji left those thoughts at the door.

Misato turned as she heard her door shut, seeing Shinji, and smiling. "One demon for another, shall we?"

"Huh?"

She stood straight, no longer bending over her small bag. "When I asked you the first time, you said that the wings were one of your demons. I assume you're asking about my scar?"

"Uh...yeah," said Shinji. "Sorry to have seen you in the buff like that, but Rei was...aggressive in her desire."

She giggled a bit, but sat on the provided bed in the room. "I got it from Second Impact. I...I was there."

Shinji nodded. "I'm sorry. I can only guess at how bad that was."

"Yeah," she said. "The lone survivor."

Shinji leaned back against the door. "The wings were done to me by that bastard in charge."

"The Commander?"

"He injected me with stuff for a month after mom died. He said it was a cure for a sickness. But he kept injecting me, testing me; over and over again, for a month. When it didn't change anything, he sent me away.

"A month later, these babies popped out when my guardians told me he wasn't coming back for me." He turned to leave. "Just don't confront him yet. I have my own plans for dealing with him about this."

"Wait, that's all?" she asked. "You don't want details from me on why I was in Antarctica?"

He shook his head. "Demons aren't meant to be traded, only shared with close friends and confidants. I promised to tell you, and I only wanted to know one of yours." He turned to face her again. "Besides, you got a little stressed towards the end of what little you told. You're not ready yet to tell me. But when you are...I'll be ready to listen. I promise, Misato-chan."

She continued to stare at the closed door until Ritsuko came and got her. _You are always so full of surprises Shinji-kun._

* * *

_Why me?_

Shinji realized he was asking this question a lot lately. It seemed as if he was slowly becoming what one comedian had referred to as "the universe's bitch". Mad antics seemed to happen around him, the last having been Rei's desire to be near him, and instead of being alone in the men's area, he had made the comment that women weren't allowed there.

Thus, he ended up tossed over the fence by the one girl who knew he could take the fall.

And thus, Shinji caught glimpses of a topless Misato, Ritsuko, Asuka, and Mana; as she had stood up when she heard his scream.

Luckily, they were too surprised by **what** Rei had done to be upset at his presence.

The blindfold helped.

Now, he was once again in the throes of dilemma.

A van. All that they had to ferry the pilots back to NERV was a damned van. Everything else was loaded and sent, and since Misato had given most of the remaining crew time at the resort, all that was left of troop transports were gone. They were left with civilian transport to return to Tokyo-3.

So, the bags were put in the back, including the now sleeping penguin, a permanent smile somehow etched onto his beak.

Ritsuko took over the driver's seat, since the van was much more likely to roll over with Misato's driving than her car.

Misato pouted, until Ritsuko told her now she could drink. Thus, Misato took over the front passenger seat; complete with a mini-cooler built into the seat.

And with the front now full, and the back filled while allowing PenPen to sleep uninterrupted, that left one guy and three girls to sit in the center seat which was only built for three.

You can see now why he was asking.

Mana saw this, blushing again, immediately getting inside and sliding as far over to the left side of the van as possible.

"Well," asked Asuka, "who wants to ride on the roof?"

"That will not be necessary," said Rei.

Seeing the questioning gazes upon her, she merely directed Shinji to sit in the middle, Asuka on his right, and then to the surprise of all—except Shinji, who had spent more time with the girl—she moved and sat on his lap, her arms around him, and cuddled up, trying to go to sleep.

"Wondergirl," Asuka started, a twitch developing, "what are you doing?"

"I am currently trying to sleep."

"I think she means why are you sitting on Shinji like that," stated Misato. _Damn, the girl works fast; who knew?_

"I am more comfortable with both sitting on Shinji-kun's lap as well as sleeping with Shinji-kun than either Mana or Asuka."

"WHAT?"

Ritsuko turned towards her friend. "You've been letting them have sex in your house!"

"I never knew they were doing that!"

"Excuse me," said Shinji.

Mana just cried, sniffing back the tears. _The women at the base were right: all the good ones are taken or gay!_

Asuka; who had been living with this group, realized something: either they were jumping to conclusions, or Rei was extremely quiet during sex. "Rei, in what meaning of the word do you sleep with Shinji?" She tried not to growl out those words.

"In the meaning that I sleep with Shinji."

"Excuse me," said Shinji.

"Yeah, stud?" said Misato, back to teasing.

"We just sleep in the same bed. We haven't had sex, if that's what you're thinking."

The girls blinked.

Asuka let out a breath she had been holding, wondering why she had been upset to even hear the possibility that Shinji and Rei might have been intimate, and deciding she would think about it on the way home.

Mana smiled. Okay, he had weird sleeping habits, but he was still available.

Ritsuko just sighed. "Is this because being near you allows her pleasant dreams?"

Shinji nodded. "Yep."

"So no midnight make out sessions?" teased Misato.

Rei looked towards Misato. "I am unfamiliar with how such relationships proceed. Have I done something wrong by not "making out" with Shinji?"

The group just turned to stare at Misato.

"What?"

Shinji shook his head. He might have to seriously reconsider the idea that God might exist, because someone was seriously screwing with him.

* * *

Ritsuko was the only one still awake before they had hit the highway.

Misato was slumped into her seat, the first beer not even opened.

Asuka had fallen asleep, leaning onto Shinji.

Mana had fallen asleep, her head formerly leaning against the cabin, now also leaning on Shinji.

Rei was still in the same position she had been when she had gotten into the vehicle.

Shinji had his head back on the seat as well, not snoring, but the odd twitches in his face looked to denote he was in REM sleep.

The fact that the three EVA pilots had their wings out didn't seem to be too much of a problem. Anyone seeing the vehicle would think they were cosplay.

So, she continued her drive. After all, she was the responsible one.

Besides, she now had enough ammo to begin teasing Shinji.

And Kaji, as despite the rumors, she truly doubted he had ever had a foursome or slept anywhere near three women at once.

* * *

Shinji found himself in a dark forest, the moon high in the air...blood red.

"Okay, this is weird, even for me."

He looked around, but found no paths. "So, why am I dreaming of a forest?"

Soon, he heard...giggling.

The voice sounds like it was coming from everywhere, making Shinji unable to tell if it was an echo, or the voice literally was coming from everywhere. "Hello?"

The giggling continued, as if his request was never heard. "Anyone there?"

But the laughter continued.

He looked around, but the clouds soon developed, causing the moonlight to cast dark shadows upon the forest.

Shaking his head, Shinji tried to leap into the air. Whatever this place was, was starting to give him the creeps, and he wasn't about to stay put and die like a white guy in a horror film.

But, something grabbed him and pulled him back to the ground before he even cleared a meter.

Looking around, nothing had changed. The giggling continued, the ground was undisturbed, and his appearance showed no change.

It was then he noticed one important fact: he was naked.

_I could have sworn I had clothes on..._

_This is one messed up dream. I wonder if I ate anything weird in the spring._

He looked around, preparing to take off again. Sure he was nude, but he wasn't about to stay in the creepy forest any longer.

And once again, he felt his momentum stopped. But the forces came from different directions; changing location every time he tried to view exactly what was holding him.

Shaking his head, he held his palm out, forcing his AT Field into a small ball, and launching it at a tree.

A tree that just absorbed the blow like it was nothing.

"Oh COME ON!" he screamed. "Either show yourselves or let me go!"

The giggling stopped, and the forest became as quiet as a grave. The wind picked up, blowing at him in the face, no matter which way he turned.

"SHOW YOURSELVES OR LEAVE ME BE!" he screamed into the wind.

**Such mighty requests for one so weak.**

He growled. "I know that voice."

Slowly, one by one, seven eyes appeared all around him, slowly opening, revealing dark pupils. **So, you remember me?**

"Like a bitter taste." Shinji took a defensive stance.

The voice laughed. **I would expect such retorts from a weakling bastard child of Adam.**

"So then I guess calling you Mommy is out of the question?"

The eyes seemed to slit as they stared at him. **I should kill you now.**

"Like you could?" He knew he was in trouble. Staring into those eyes, he could feel a reaction growing inside him, as if another memory was trying to surface.

A name?

A...feeling?

The giggling returned, but it was not from the spirits that seemed to haunt this forest, but from the beast surrounding him. **I am beyond my children what you are beyond normal humans...and much more. You cannot hope to defeat my children by yourself without the shadows of Adam helping you, child. I am out of your league, as the phrase goes.**

"I will still fight you," said Shinji. "Don't underestimate me."

**Fool, I underestimate no soul. I am well aware that you may surprise me.**

**The only reason you yet live is because the same soul watches over you still, even with their presence shadowed by distance.**

"Like that would stop someone like you." Shinji had no doubt that this person was planning something. Unfortunately, he had no idea what.

**I don't need to do this directly, bastard child. You see, I have allies of a sort who will do it for me.**

**But, while I might not kill you outright, I may have some...fun.**

Shinji was wondering what her idea of fun was, but knew it would be bad.

He was right, as his head began to throb, as if his brain was literally trying to burst out.

**AHHHHHH!**

The pain lessened, as Shinji tried to stand up tall again, having been brought to one knee with the voice's attack.

What he saw shocked him. Each eye had a forearm through it, right where the pupil had been.

Soon, more arms ripped through the eyes, rendering them to little pieces.

And then he saw who those arms belonged to...Rei.

They were multiple copies of Rei.

Their attentions were focused on eliminating the eyes; for which Shinji was grateful, and just hoping that they were not going to do the same to him.

Soon, the eyes were gone, the pain was gone, and now, they turned their attention to him...

And smiled...

Soon, giggling came again.

Shinji just looked around, wondering what the hell was going on. "Is this a dream, something more, or perhaps something less?"

The girls simply walked over to him, the sounds of their giggles never changing, once again causing Shinji to wonder if they really were to source.

Soon, hands reached out, touching his skin, before pulling back, almost as if they were afraid he would bite **them**. "Um...can I help you?"

The girls continued to smile, continued to giggle, continued to touch him for a moment before pulling back.

"Would the real Rei Ayanami please raise her hand?" he asked, all out of suggestions for what to do with this crazy scene.

The girls stopped, silence returning to the forest, before they embraced him, and everything went dark.

* * *

"We're home, guys!" called out Misato.

Shinji opened his eyes, staring into the red orbs of the person still on his lap. "Rei?"

"Yes, Shinji-kun?"

"You can get off me now."

"I cannot."

"Why?" _Oh, this'll be good._

"Pilot Soryu is currently holding me and drooling on my shirt as well as my legs are currently without sensation due to Pilot Kirishima falling asleep with her head on them and cutting off direct blood flow."

"Misato, Ritsuko...help?"

Misato just smiled. "Why you stud, still wanting more after sleeping with three women. Naughty, naughty, Shinji."

Shinji just leaned his head back, once again muttering what was quickly becoming his mantra: _Why me?_

* * *

"Boy, the costs for doing laundry has been killing me lately," said Ritsuko, as the automated Laundromat delivered her clothes. "I'm almost tempted to get a personal assistant."

"But wouldn't that cost more?" asked Maya, also picking up her clothes.

Ritsuko just giggled. "Charge it as a business expense and right it off." She picked up the rest of her clothes. "With the extra funds being brought in thanks to the Sub-Commander's use of NERV technology for commercial use, we all might be seeing more in our paychecks, but it still would feel nice to have the free time to enjoy it.

"I agree," said Shigeru Aoba as he entered. "Seeing those kids outside reminded me of when I **had** free time."

"It'd be easier if we had the free time to wash them ourselves." Maya lifted her own load.

Ritsuko just shook her head. "Free time? We used to have that, right?"

"At least we can still appreciate the fact we have the time to sleep at our own homes," said Aoba.

* * *

Sub Commander Fuyutsuki looked over the paper as the train slowed to its stop.

_I don't believe it._ The current story he was reading was mostly filled with opinions submitted by avid readers. The topic of the day had been NERV's entrance into the public eye.

He had to admit that Gendo had at first been cold about the idea, even though Ayuko had done an excellent job selling him.

The Third Angel plushie was actually a hot selling item.

But when the projections of profit began to prove true, even the normal cold man had smiled. With this option, they were seriously restricting what damage the UN could make against NERV for funds, as well as try and use guilt over public problems that could be dealt with had NERV not needed more funds for repairs and upgrades.

Though the Commander had put his foot down on the issue of having the EVAs and the JA series combine forms like transformers.

Fortunately, the public's opinion of NERV and its relevance was quite high. The Angel battles were fetching high prices on pay-per-view, as well as toys and assorted memorabilia. Even the JA series was popular, including the newly arrived JA-03.

Now, if only the Americans would hurry their asses up and deliver Unit 03 and 04, as well as expedite the arrival of the Fifth Child.

The children also needed to be scanned for action figures...with wings.

_I'm getting too old for this shit._

"Hello, Sub Commander."

He lowered the paper, seeing the partially obscured face of Dr. Akagi.

"Hello, sir," she said.

"Hello, sir!" said Maya and Shigeru.

As the train departed, conversation resumed. "You're here early today," said Ritsuko.

"I have to go uptown as Ikari's representative," he said. "And then I have yet another meeting with Ayuko Mishima. Damned woman has me talking about Evangelion cereal now."

Shigeru blinked. "What type of cereal?"

The Sub Commander's stare quieted **that** talk.

"So, the City Council's regular meeting is today," said Ritsuko.

"I'd rather be at that than the damned cereal meeting. Ikari's always forcing the tedious work on me. Without the MAGI's help, I'd never be able to do it all."

"Speaking of which," said Ritsuko, "Election Day is coming up soon, isn't it?"

Fuyutsuki sighed. "The damned City Council has no authority. Hard to believe, but the MAGI run everything now."

Maya was surprised. "The MAGI, the same super computers we use at NERV?"

He nodded. "Government by the majority decision of three separate computers. It's sort of democratic when you think about it." _Though I seriously doubt this is what anyone had in mind when the developed democracy._

Maya blinked. "And the Council just obeys their decisions?"

"It's a most effective form of government," said Fuyutsuki.

Shigeru snorted. "Kind of hard to buy off a computer, I guess."

Fuyutsuki chuckled. "I guess if you want an honest politician, you have to build one."

"Well what do you expect," said Maya, "we are fortunate to live in a City of Science. It's lucky for us to be living in such times when Science reigns supreme."

"You do realize we work at a place with names like Central Dogma and such, right?"

Shigeru was soon rubbing his shin from Maya's answer.

"Come to think of it," said Fuyutsuki, "you have an experiment to run with Unit 00 today, correct?"

Ritsuko nodded. "With the S2 organ in it, we're testing some new technology we received from the JA section. We're hoping it will improve power usage throughout the systems. If it works, we'll have more energy available for AT Field generation."

"Aren't they testing the Trident today as well?" asked Shigeru.

"That's correct," said Ritsuko. "They finally got the equipment here and installed at the airfield. It's doubtful right now that the JA-03 can be used inside the Geo-front. It's simply too big."

Fuyutsuki smiled. "They had the same problems with the other JAs. But, they are trying to build JA-04 inside the Geo-front."

"Why not," said Shigeru. "We do have a giant battleship inside it."

* * *

"Status?" asked Ritsuko.

A tech typed at his station. "Power consumption levels are down fifteen percent. Power flow is remaining stable."

"Told you so," said Senada, his feet resting on his station. "Those relays don't look it, but the power they save really adds up."

Ritsuko nodded. "If we complete their installations, Unit 00 alone will have an extra forty-seven point nine five percent power to utilize in battle."

Senada nodded. "They also wanted us to look into the possibility of combining the defensive screen technology with the AT Field."

"I thought you already had a project to try and use the defensive screen technology with the City Defense Network."

He shrugged. "The MAGI are working on those calculations. Personally, we might have to add a new fusion plant just to meet the minimum power requirements."

Ritsuko looked out the window towards Unit 00. "The way things are going, I'd say we're going to need them soon."

* * *

Misato was having one of those days.

Asuka had waked and was still complaining about her bright pink wings, though she seemed to be enjoying the attention she got from them. Apparently, having wings was now a status symbol.

In further contemplation, it did help out Toji's little sister that when she went to school with them, she wouldn't be ostracized.

Traffic was a bear to get through to make it to work on time.

And now...

"HEY, HOLD UP!"

A dark and sinister presence was racing towards the open elevator.

Seeing it come closer at a quick pace, Misato reached up and pressed the Door Close button.

Sadly, the creature of darkness was faster, catching the doors before they shut.

_Shit._

Panting heavily, Kaji stepped into the elevator.

As the elevator began its descent, Kaji finally caught his breath. "Man, I've never had to run that hard in all my life."

Turning to face Misato, he pounded his lower back to work out a kink. "So, what's with the long face?"

"It's from having to see your loathsome face this early in the morning," she said, hating how this day was going so far.

Once should never tempt fate that much. Shinji does, and look at his life.

* * *

"I know, Usagi," said Shinji. Currently, he was using a pay phone because he was currently outside of his home and trying to enjoy the beautiful day before going to see Mana and her test exercises in the Trident. As such, he decided to use a land line and not tie up his cell phone.

NERV told him bad things would happen if they couldn't reach him for an emergency.

Like the damn sirens wouldn't be a possible sign.

"_Gees, Shinji. You act like this sort of stuff is new to you. Aren't you the guy who ended up underneath our history teacher during a pool outing?"_

He sighed, rubbing his head. "I was completely innocent, you know that. It wasn't my fault that the edge of the building caught the top of her bikini when she fell down."

"_And what about where your face ended up?"_

"Now I had nothing to do with that. I tried to catch her!"

"_I know, but it...so fun...her chest was..."_

"Usagi, I think I'm losing you," Shinji said, wondering if maybe Usagi was on a cell phone. Her house phone was a land line, so he shouldn't be loosing her signal.

"_...ji, I...got..."_

And then the line went dead. "O...kay."

* * *

Misato and Kaji looked in with amazement as the elevator stopped.

"What the hell?" asked Misato, wondering what this new incident would do to her already hectic day.

"A black out," asked Kaji. In his travels, he was well acquainted to sudden power outages.

"No, it can't be. It's just not possible," said Misato.

The universe stumped her again as the main lights went out, and the emergency lights came on. "Something's going on. Maybe an accident?"

Kaji chuckled. "Maybe Dr. Akagi did something?"

* * *

"The main power supply has been interrupted!" yelled Maya as the room went dark. "Voltage level is zero!"

Ritsuko stared at Senada, as he was glaring at her. "Don't blame me, we didn't do anything!"

* * *

"What do you think?" asked Kaji.

Misato just smiled, waving off his concerns. "Don't worry, the backup generators will kick on soon."

* * *

"The backup circuits aren't responding!" yelled Shigeru.

"That's impossible!" said Fuyutsuki. He looked over the edge at some techs near the MAGI. "Which circuits still have power?"

"Damn it!" screamed one lady. "Only point-thirty-five percent of them. We only have nine circuits out of 2,567!"

He turned back to the lone male bridge bunny. "Reroute all of that power to maintaining the MAGI and Central Dogma."

"But that could interfere with life support systems," said Shigeru.

"Do it," said Fuyutsuki, "that's our top priority." He then turned back down to the techs. "I want a security team and engineering team sent to the power stations. I want to know why the hell three fusion plants just went offline!"

* * *

"Man, Misato's such a slob," said Makoto. "Why can't she pick up her own laundry?"

He looked up to see if it was allowed to walk across the street, when the crosswalk sign went dead. "What?"

* * *

Four junior high children/pilots were walking down the street towards NERV HQ. Once there, Mana would be receiving a lift to the hanger where her Trident was located for a test to ensure it had made the trip with no damage.

Mostly, Mana was just happy to be seeing her friend again. To be honest, she really was missing Trident as if he was her brother.

"Maybe she was just busy, Shinji," said Mana. "I mean, we all have lives, and sometimes conversations can fall through the cracks."

"That's not it," said Shinji. "It was like the line just...faded out. Besides, if we did get disconnected, she would have at least called my cell, but I'm getting no signal from that either."

"Hey, are you a man or what?" said Asuka. "Stop letting every little thing bother you!"

Soon, the group arrived at NERV, trying to swipe their cards to open the doors.

But they never opened...despite Asuka's fevered attempts. "Damn it! It must be broken!" she screamed.

Mana leaned over towards Rei. "Is she always like this?"

"Yes," said Rei, "but they will not follow my advice and have her tested for rabies."

Shinji did not like this. He knew enough that NERV had emergency power lines that should have either powered the doors or lit up the screens to say Out of Order. "Rei, what would interrupt the power stations of the Geo-front?"

Rei blinked. "The fusion reactors are fed with water filtered from an underground aquifer. It would require a massive geologic upheaval to interfere with the water flow. Even then, there is a spare reserve of water that would power the systems for twenty hours before shutting down as well, and switching to energy sources though the power grid of Japan."

"What are you getting at, baka? The things are just broke!"

"Rei, what would be the most likely reason for all power to both the Geo-front and Tokyo-3 to fail with no backup available?"

Rei turned towards the doors. "Sabotage."

"Whoa!" said Mana. "You mean someone shut down NERV. Why?"

Shinji turned around, staring at the horizon. "I don't know, but I have a real bad feeling about this."

* * *

"Very unusual," said Misato as she continued to hit buttons.

"What's the backup power system here?" Kaji asked. His senses of survival were telling him this was very bad.

"There are three circuits: main, sub, and reserve. It's virtually impossible for them to all fail at once."

"Then that means..." said Kaji.

* * *

"Sabotage," said Gendo, staring over his hands. "The circuit breakers didn't go on their own. Someone must have blown them intentionally."

"Regardless of the cause," said Fuyutsuki as he lit another candle, "it would be disastrous if an Angel were to attack now."

Gendo stared onward as people ran to get the systems up and running. _Yes, I believe that is precisely the point._ "We need power restored...now."

* * *

"Radar has detected an unidentified object! The projected landing point is the former Atami region!"

"So, this must be number eight," said General Fujo.

"I agree," said another general, "it must be an Angel."

The General stood up. "Have we been able to contact NERV or the JA systems?"

"No, sir," said one lieutenant.

"Something is very wrong," said the General. "The JA systems have backups to respond if something had occurred."

"Have them try and contact the station at Tokyo-3 airport. The JA-03 hanger has an independent transmitter."

* * *

"Damn heat," said Keitaro, as he laid down his cards. "I fold."

When power cut out, they had immediately activated an old diesel generator. Unfortunately, it was powering the needed equipment, which did not include the air conditioner.

"Sir, incoming transmission from HQ."

"What is it," Keitaro said, fanning himself with his cards.

"Incoming hostile!"

Keitaro nearly fell out of his chair. "SHIT! Get the JA-03 ready for launch; activate the main transmitter and get me the damn pilot, NOW!"

* * *

"We need options," said Gendo to the now arrived Ritsuko.

Maya was the first to offer a suggestion. "Sempai, the EVAs still have their umbilical cord outlets."

Fuyutsuki blinked. "Why do they still have them? I thought the S2 organs made them unnecessary."

"They do, " said Ritsuko, wondering where her assistant was going with this. "But they were left in. We were planning on removing them and the backup power supplies during the next upgrade, when Units 03 and 04 arrive."

Maya nodded. "Why not hook up the umbilical lines and reverse the power flow. The S2 engines can put power into the system."

Ritsuko stroked her chin. "It wouldn't be anywhere near what the reactors put out...not without a pilot, but since the EVAs are on standby permanently since the S2's keep working, what they do put out should be enough to operate some of the main systems. At the very least, we could operate the doors and get out crews to the reactors quicker."

Gendo nodded. "Do it. Also, use what power we can spare and set the systems to launch the EVAs. Somehow, I doubt this was done as a prank."

Ritsuko gawked. "But if we can't get any of the fusion plants running—"

Fuyutsuki finished. "Then one EVA must remain behind to provide power for the catapults."

"Make it so," said Gendo, turning back to return to his desk. If the choice was necessary, he knew which unit would remain behind.

What the pilot would do; that was another problem itself.

* * *

As the group had begun to try several other doors, Shinji stopped, slowly turning towards a direction...towards the former Atami region.

"Shinji?" asked Mana. "What is it?"

His response was stopped as her cell phone rang.

"Hey, how come hers still works?" yelled Asuka.

"Because mine also receives communiqués from HQ." Mana opened her phone. "Hello?"

Soon, she had her answer to what was drawing Shinji's attention. Gulping, she replied. "I'm on my way."

Hanging up the phone, she turned to her fellow co-workers. "Um...an Angel has been spotted heading for Tokyo-3, and they can't raise NERV or the JA automated response systems."

That was when their own phones began to ring.

* * *

"_WHAT!"_ came the cry from the communications lines.

Gendo stayed calm. "We only have forty eight percent below minimum power from the current S2 output of the EVAs. As such, we have also been unable to restore main power. The circuit breakers have all been sabotaged, as well as the JA activation systems."

Senada shook his head. "This was too well organized. We are looking at a bare minimum of at least twelve people to pull this off. We've been too busy updating systems for it to be any less or for them to have set this plan in motion more than two days ago."

"_An Angel is also on its way,"_ said Shinji. _"Mana just got a call from the hanger for JA-03."_

_So, their plans were for this. The old men have made their first mistake._ "We need you to report to NERV immediately to begin preparations."

"_And how do we get there?" _asked Asuka._ "All the damned doors are locked!"_

"_Dr. Akagi,"_ asked Shinji, _"do you have enough power to open the catapult tubes? I think we're near Exit 32-D."_

"I believe we have enough for that. But we only have power coming from Unit 02. Why?"

"_Because, I can fly Mana to her JA, and Rei and Asuka can fly down the shaft to get there quicker."_

"_WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR MALFUNCTION, THIRD CHILD!"_ screamed Asuka, nearly blowing out the speakers. _"I can't fly yet!"_

"_Then I shall carry you, Pilot Soryu,"_ said Rei in a calm voice.

For those who had been living with Rei—minus Asuka, who only noticed Rei if she was taking attention away from her—Shinji gulped, as it meant she was planning something.

"_I don't need your help, First Child," _spat out Asuka.

"Quiet!" said Fuyutsuki. "We've been over this Pilot Soryu. If you cannot fly, then Rei will assist you. It wouldn't be good for us if a pilot was smashed into a wall.

"We are opening the doors. Get here now!"

* * *

"Rei, you won't kill her, will you?" Shinji asked.

"Pilot Soryu will be delivered to our destination unharmed." Rei remained unexpressive.

"O...kay," said Shinji, as they stepped out of the hallway and back onto the street, as the doors to the launch tunnel slowly began to open. "Be careful."

He turned to Mana. "Could you please call your base back and let them know I'm flying you there. I **really** don't want to be shot down by a trigger-happy guard."

"Um...hee-hee...right," said Mana. She was sporting a small blush as how Shinji would get her there. She had wanted to have him take her flying, as he had done for that Naru girl to get her used to the sky, and when Rei and Asuka were both learning to fly.

Though Asuka's attempts usually ended up with her splashing down into the Geo-front's lake.

When she finished the call, Shinji picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and turned to face the other girls. "Do what you can. We'll try and hold it off."

"What about you, Shinji-kun?" asked Rei.

"One EVA has to stay there to keep power flowing. Besides, I'll hitch a ride back with Mana. If they have power restored, then I'll get in Unit 01. If not, then I can help up here."

"Baka," said Asuka, "you can't take an Angel on by yourself!" She really was worried for him. She did consider him a frie...coworker. As such, she wanted him safe.

"I can try," said Shinji, as he leapt off with Mana.

Both girls heard how darkly Shinji had said that phrase. Rei remembered hearing how Shinji had boldly stated that if the Commander had asked nicely, that he would go out and kill the demon.

Rei had never asked if Shinji could have really fought it. In her knowledge, only an EVA had the power to face it.

But Shinji had more power than she had initially given him credit for. Already, he had accomplished so much.

Yet...for some reason...he wanted to face an Angel without an EVA.

Without an EVA, he would have less protection, and should this Angel be progressively more difficult than the others, as each one had grown in power from the one before it...

She walked over to Asuka and grabbed her in much the same way Shinji had grabbed Mana, altering it so that Asuka's wings would not interfere in their flight.

Well...freefall was more correct, as the next sound heard was Asuka's scream as they shot into the launch chute.

Moments later, enough power had been available to set off the Angel Alert Sirens.

* * *

"Shinji?" asked Mana as they were currently high above Tokyo-3 and headed towards the airport.

"Yeah," he asked, looking for the landmarks he needed to get there in the shortest path.

"Why do you pilot?"

He didn't look at her. "At first, it was to protect Rei. When I first saw her, she was in real bad shape. I had to heal her, so I didn't have enough energy to try and take on the Third Angel myself."

"And later..."

"I swore to protect people. I was first trained by my guardians because they feared that others might not accept me for being...different. They wanted to make me strong enough to stand on my own, should people come for me."

He left unsaid the small massacre that had occurred when some Black Ops group **did** come for him.

"So now you do it to protect everyone?"

He nodded. "I won't let those things harm another soul." He turned slightly to look into her eyes. "Why do you pilot?"

She stared ahead, the wind not being intense enough to make her shield her eyes. "Dr. Rara came to me at the orphanage where I was sent. My family died in 2004 in an auto accident, so I had nowhere else to go. He came to me, and asked if I wanted to be a hero.

"So, they took me to the center where the Trident Project was underway, before Jet Alone bought them out. Honestly, I think I was chosen because I was the least likely to be missed if things went...bad. I was a lonely kid, and I was still recovering from my loss.

"Don't be mad at Rara. The guy treated me well, and I became real good friends with his daughter.

"But when we got the AI Interface, and Trident developed a persona, I just...I just wanted to help as much as I could, you know?"

"I do," he said. "What about your folks; do you remember them?"

"My mom was a little sickly; I remember her having to take a bunch of meds. Dad was a little tough. I heard from some of the crews that he was actually involved in the project.

"So," she said, "want to go out this Friday?"

Shinji kept his surprise from causing them to fall out of the sky. "Huh?"

"Well, you are cute, smart, and you have a descent personality. So, I think I'll break my rule about not dating coworkers and see if we can work out."

"Aren't your coworkers all above the age of twenty?"

"Uh-huh," she said. "They act childish, though. I mean, flirt a bit and show a little skin, they run away like they'll get arrested." She giggled at her own joke.

"Besides, I did learn one thing when my parents died. That thing is always enjoy the moment, for tomorrow is always unknown."

She looked at him again. "So, what's your answer?"

Shinji just smiled. "Survive, and I'll tell you."

"Thanks for leaving a girl hanging," she said with sarcasm.

"That's my motto: always leave them wanting more." He began their descent. "That way, you're less likely to be yelled at for being boring."

* * *

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The scream continued as several techs turned away towards the catapults, seeing a figure shoot out from the above tunnels, barely missing impacting the ground, as it curved upwards, and landing on the catwalk.

Rei disengaged the Second Child, who was not only currently scared stiff, but was for once; silent.

When Rei had finally removed Asuka's body from clutching her own, Rei looked down at her school fuku and shook her head. "I will need a quick shower before I can assist. Pilot Soryu had relieved herself on me."

Inside her head, she was congratulating herself on a job well done.

A female tech helped Asuka towards the changing rooms a few minutes later, missing the smile that had bloomed on Rei's face.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" asked Mana as she came out in her piloting suit.

Shinji turned and stared, his eyes filled with surprise.

It resembled a plug suit used by the EVA pilots, but with enough noticeable differences to keep one from calling her that. Unlike the EVA pilot plug suits, it was closer to an actual uniform, even with her last name stenciled over the breast.

Giggling at his reaction, she noticed that he had changed as well. His school uniform was gone, replaced with some fatigues that the JSSDF had in stock, his sword still at his side.

She never did learn how he had hid it while at school. All she knew was that he had it before he went into the building and when he left it.

In between, it was nowhere to be found.

She looped her arm around his, ignoring the stares of the soldiers and techs around her. "Well, shall we get going? We can't keep our guest waiting. It's just not proper."

Chuckling, he escorted her to JA-03: Trident.

Inside, he was nervous. Truly, he didn't know if he was going to fight this Angel to spite the seven eyes that seemed to seethe at his existence, or because he needed to prove to himself that he could handle such a thing.

_Well, time to learn something new._

* * *

_I've missed you, little brother._

"**As have I, big sister.**

"**Now please tell me who the person standing on top of me is?"**

_That is Shinji. He's an angelic human who is helping us fight the Angels, and one is coming._

"**I see. Then, I finally get to fight?"**

_Are you up to it?_

"**I was literally born for this."**

_That didn't answer my question. Are you okay going into battle?_

"**If you are asking if I am afraid, I...I believe that is the emotion I am feeling. But I will not abandon you, big sister. I will fight with you and this Shinji."**

_Thank you. Together, we can't lose._

"**But if I may?"**

_What?_

Trident was quiet for a moment, before he started...singing.

"**Mana and Shinji, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"**

* * *

"Sir, she's banging her head on the headrest again."

Keitaro shook his head. "The sad thing is; I can't tell who is the more mature of the two of them: the pilot or the AI."

* * *

"_How's it going up there, Shinji?"_

Shinji sat on top of the Trident as it flew towards the Angel, hoping to try and engage it outside of Tokyo-3. Though to be honest, not many people were exactly certain what the JA could do.

While it did have the power of the predecessors, it was also somewhat in question as to how well the different style of weapons would fare against a real opponent.

The Seventh Angel had proven how effective a deterrent the first JA series was against them. With the finished product however, no longer operating, they would have to deal this threat themselves.

"Anxious to test my metal, Mana."

Shinji, however, found himself in an internal duel. He knew he was strong. Given a normal limitation, he truly believed he could take a strong opponent.

Maybe...he could have even defeated the Third Angel. The thing had been weak and slow.

After the N2 attack on it, he still favored his odds against it.

But now...? That was the true question.

Was the voice playing on ego? Did he really need to be able to defeat an Angel **outside** of an EVA?

He did have an S2 organ now, which meant power wasn't really a problem for him. So, he wasn't limited to how much or how long he could attack.

But even if he had an infinite amount of bullets in his gun, it wouldn't always be able to pierce the armor of a battleship...especially if that armor was always repairing itself and adapting to be stronger.

So, he was forced to do it this way. If they could buy some more time for NERV to power-up the catapults, then they could launch two EVAs to fight the Angel. With Units 00 and 02, combined with Trident, they should have no problems.

Of course, that was assuming the Angel didn't have hidden surprises.

It was never that easy, after all.

* * *

"No way!" screamed Toji. Unfortunately, he had been in the Geo-front in training for when he took control of Unit 03, which was due to arrive in a few weeks. His sync scores weren't the highest, but he was making progress.

Of course, said progress was somewhat hampered by his sister constantly asking if he was going to be working with Shinji, or inviting him over, or other assorted things that often drive big brothers crazy when their little sisters see their friends and think "date material".

"Listen," said Ritsuko, "we need a pilot inside Unit 01 to allow the S2 organ to increase its output. If not, we'll never have enough power to launch the other EVAs."

Of course, bravado and actual results were two different things.

Seeing how bad things were going, Shigeru took point. "You know if you don't pilot, we'll have to release you from the program."

"And?" asked Toji.

"And your little sister will have less opportunities to spend near Shinji," the bridge bunny said. "And when she finds out you're the reason that she can't hang out with Shinji anymore..."

Toji growled. "That's blackmail."

"Nope," said Shigeru, "that's the likely reaction of a younger sister with a hardcore crush. Now get your damn ass inside the entry plug, before I go get your sister."

Toji continued to grumble as he moved towards the plug.

When Ritsuko looked at him, Shigeru shrugged. "I've been on both sides of that particular fence."

She waved him off, promising she'd get that story out of him later.

"I DID NOT PISS ON YOU!"

_Ah, so now the other pilots..._

"Then what was the liquid you expelled on me?"

"It wasn't me. Must have been a leaky pipe. You know this place is old and falling apart."

"Yes, I also know which pipe was leaky. Do we need to stock adult diapers for you now?"

Ritsuko rubbed her head, trying to recall exactly why she didn't want to die.

* * *

To see the Trident, one would almost think it was a flying lizard...minus the wings. Originally, before the JA Project bought them out, Trident was little more than a rough instrument, barely above the early JA series.

Now, it was a reborn creature, a phoenix raised from the ashes of its former monstrous self.

The armor was sleeker, following aerodynamic lines. In the air, it was a flying battleship. It had a main gun with as much power as the shoulder mounted ones used by the JA Mark VI. It was theorized it could maintain maximum output for thirteen-point-seven seconds before overheating would become a problem. The amount of damage could be increased if Trident was in its land form, since less power would be expended to keep it aloft.

In land form, the unit had thick legs, slowly slimming to the body, and thickening at the upper chest, which allowed for the arms to add less drag as they would be folded closer to the body. In this form, Trident could fight in hand-to-hand combat, just as an EVA did. It didn't have weapons armed to it like an EVA, so combat tools would have to be provided. The cannon was still its best offensive weapon.

Both forms had access to the defense screen, but it used more power in the flight mode due to having to push back against the kinetic energy of the blast.

"_That is the Angel?" _said Mana, looking at it. _"It is a damned spider! My sensors say its AT Field isn't even half that of the Seventh Angel."_

Shinji stared at it as it continued its trek to Tokyo-3, the Trident currently hovering a safe distance from it. _Now, what could this mean? Was this Angel supposed to have wakened earlier?_ "Mana, I'm going to try and get its attention. When I say so, fire at full power. Maybe we can kill it here."

"_Um...isn't that risky for you?"_

He snorted. "I'll be the decoy. We don't know if this thing is hiding its real abilities or not. Besides, I can outmaneuver any attack better than you due to size."

He stood up, flexing his wings. "Wish me luck."

And with that, Shinji flew off.

* * *

Mana shook her head.

"**You're boyfriend is impulsive."**

_Oh be quiet, little brother._

"**Whatever."**

* * *

Shinji flew in front of it, calling forth his power, which ended up revealing itself as two more wings breached from the back of the slit fatigues.

Floating in front of the Angel, he watched it. It had four legs, the main body surrounded by eyes.

That alone caused Shinji's blood to boil, though he was uncertain the motives for such emotions: pseudo revenge against the seven eyes in his dream, or self assertion that he was far from defenseless against something that resembled what assaulted him in the dream forest.

The Angel either didn't see him or didn't care.

Not that Shinji cared. He withdrew his sword, raising it into the air, and brought it down in a quick slash. "SPIRIT CUT!"

The blast of energy flew towards the Angel's body, only to be interrupted by a leg, which was slashed open, spilling its fluid everywhere as it waved the broken appendage.

Shinji flew back, not taking any chances. For all he knew, that fluid could corrupt him.

Seeing it melt through trees and an abandoned car, Shinji flew off farther.

But the Angel seemed to now thrive on the challenger, waving the shattered stump at him, sending more of the acidic compound. "Mana, NOW!"

A stream of energy lashed out at the Angel, striking the body as well as another leg.

Wounded severely, the Angel fell down, its body slamming the ground as acid continued to poor out, the two amputated legs flailing about.

Shinji flew back towards the Trident, wondering what the problem was. He saw the core take a direct hit; the Angel's energy was falling rapidly.

So why was he not satisfied? Why was he still on edge?

"_No offense, Shinji; but that was way too easy."_

Shinji nodded as he hovered near the Trident, wondering what exactly he was missing.

His response soon came, as the acid covered areas exploded.

* * *

"Status report," said Gendo from his station.

Central Dogma was operating on minimum power, as whatever was available was being used to assist the crews in restarting the fusion power chambers. The sabotage had been quiet thorough, making it difficult to get power restarted.

As such, the three EVAs were in standby, putting out as much power as the reversed umbilical could safely allow without burning out.

"We just received a report," said Maya. "The Angel was thought to be neutralized, when it was discovered that not only was the blood acidic, but explosive after prolonged exposure to the air."

"And the Angel," he said, fingers laced before him.

Senada sighed. "It's entered a dormant state to repair the damage. It tricked them into believing it was dead, but merely centered an AT Field around the damaged core to regenerate."

"How long before it moves again?"

Ritsuko looked at her papers. They were currently relying on calculations from MAGI in Tokyo-2. "They estimate three hours."

He nodded. "We need the EVAs launched before then, as well as a way to safely destroy the core while keeping the Angel outside the city."

Senada rubbed his chin. "There are several positron rifles that have been updated. Since their already in the support structures, the EVAs can grab them and use them. If they crossfire and hit the core, it should finish the Angel."

"And the resulting explosion?" asked Shigeru.

Ritsuko looked at the map and projected course of the Angel. "We can ambush it here, where the UN dropped an N2 on the Third Angel."

Gendo nodded. "Proceed. What is the status of the first assault team?"

Senada shook his head. "The explosion was nearly point blank, as they had been a bit closer than anticipated. Trident is down in a river, using the water to repair itself. The pilot is okay..."

"And Shinji?" asked Fuyutsuki, surprised Gendo was even concerned.

* * *

Shinji slowly came to, his world currently filled with pain, and his mantra quickly entering his mind.

_Why me?_

"So, welcome back," said a cheerful female voice.

Shinji slowly opened his eyes, seeing the smiling face on Mana looking down at him. "Uh...hello?"

She shook her head, looking forward. "Trident's down for a few hours while it self-repairs. That blast damn near collapsed the shields onto me."

Shinji tiled his head, seeing the flight form of Trident resting in the water, only the cabin peaking up from the water.

"You, on the other hand, got tossed around." She started petting his hair. "Your wings...they were..."

Shinji closed his eyes, feeling what she was talking about. "They'll grow back," he said.

Seeing her look, he elaborated. "Accident when I was learning to use a real katana. I forgot to alter the twirl when my wings were released. They'll grow back after tonight."

She nodded, looking relieved that she didn't have to deliver horrible news.

"The Angel?" he asked.

She shook her head again. "It survived. Somehow, it pulled its energy to protect its core when the acid ignited. What we thought was it dying was merely the saturation of power waning as it stopped supporting the AT Field."

"Damn," he muttered. Sure, he was able to seriously hurt it, but the damn Angel had wanted to be hurt; sacrificing itself to cause damage.

But he was out of the fight. They'd be lucky to leave before the Angel moved back towards Tokyo-3.

"Well, I guess you got your date," said Shinji. "You managed to sneak me off to a secluded spot. Be gentle," he said, chuckling.

Her laugh chimed in with his, even as explosions went off in the distance.

Shinji looked towards them feeling what he suspected was true. _Good luck you two, you'll need it._

* * *

"Damn it!' screamed Asuka as she maneuvered Unit 02 away from some freshly covered ground, before the Angel's acidic blood exploded.

The two had managed to ambush the spider-type Angel—now sporting eight legs—at the same area where the Third Angel had received an N2 attack. Working as a team once again due to their sync training, they had managed to take a lot of potshots at the Angel through its legs, not hitting the appendages that seemed to carry huge sacs of extra acidic blood.

As a result, the Angel was largely kept immobile, and receiving more damage as its own blood blew up underneath it.

The girls were doing a good job so far: strike, avoid the legs, and repeat, hoping to whittle away the Angel's main body to fully expose the core.

"This strategy will fail. At our present rate, our positron rifles will lose power in seven minutes."

Asuka growled at Rei. "Fine then, do you have any other ideas?"

Rei nodded in her hologram. "If we set the rifles to overload and throw them underneath the Angel, they will explode and remove seventy-eight-point-nine percent of the Angel's body. That will result in an exposed core that we can attack using our progressive knives."

"Are you nuts?" yelled Asuka. "The blood would be exposed to the air!"

"Then you must be faster than it," said Rei. "Setting my rifle to overload on my mark."

Asuka grumbled, but had no other suggestions. If it failed, one of them would have to go back and grab a third rifle, which left too much time for the Angel to regenerate. "Fine, ready."

"Mark."

The two Evangelions tossed their weapons under the Angel, ducking behind some holes made when some shots had missed the body and hit the legs.

As a tremendous explosion occurred when the micro-fusion power cells ruptured, the girls were off, knives drawn.

The Angel was on it's back, the legs wiggling loudly, or what was left of them, as they had all been severed from the blast. The carcass was mostly gone, including those eyes that seemed to stare at them, revealing a red globe.

The two EVAs lashed out, their knives striking it at the same time, forcing itself past the AT Field, and finally burying themselves in the core, causing it to crack and begin to shatter.

The EVAs then took off, trying to put as much distance between them and the Angel as they could. As their timers reached zero, they threw themselves to the ground, their own AT Fields shimmering in a new visible spectrum to shield themselves.

And then, the Angel and its eight legs all exploded in a blast that put the N2 to shame.

* * *

"Oh, damn it! Why won't it open?"

Despite the minimal restorations in power, not enough was spared for elevators. As such, no one had bothered to fetch Misato or Kaji, let alone inform them of what was occurring.

"This is a desperate situation!" she screamed. "I've got to get to the bathroom, NOW!"

Kaji stayed facing the elevator door, as he supported Misato on his shoulders. _Just don't go on me!_

"Hey, I told you not to look up!" she screamed.

Lowering his head, Kaji let out a slow breath. "Yeah, yeah, I understand." _You've only been bitching about it the last six hours._

That was until the lights came back on. When the elevator began moving again, Kaji lost his balance, since Misato's shakings made him unsteady, causing both to collapse to the floor in an...interesting...position.

This was exactly how Ritsuko, Maya, and Makoto found them.

Ritsuko palmed her face, wondering once again why she was friends with such delinquents.

Maya just shook her head. "Disgusting perverts."

* * *

The four pilots set outside on a hillside, watching the stars and the still powerless city.

"It's ironic," said Shinji. "Without electricity and artificial lights, the sky can look so beautiful."

"But without the lights, it seems like there aren't any humans here," said Asuka.

Shinji smiled. "But I like to see the stars like this. It reminds me of a dream I once had."

"What was that, Shinji," said Mana.

"I dreamed that one day; I would fly among the stars."

"That would be unwise," said Rei. "The vacuum of space would cause you to explode from pressure imbalances."

He chuckled. "I know, but I always dreamt of doing it, of flying around, totally free."

Mana smiled. "It's a great dream. But I'm sure flying around helps that dream continue."

"That it does," said Shinji.

It was then that the lights of Tokyo-3 returned.

"Ah," said Asuka as she stretched, "much better. I'm much more comfortable this way."

"Man has always feared the darkness," said Rei. "So he scrapes away at it with fire. He creates life by diminishing the Darkness."

"Quite the philosopher, aren't you," said Asuka.

The others smiled.

"That's what makes us special as a species," said Shinji. "We'll never stop scraping, to find purpose, to do more, to be more."

Mana looked at them. "You think that is why the Angels are attacking us?"

"Idiot," Asuka said. "Who knows what they think?"

Shinji looked back towards the stars. _I think...I do._


	11. Standing Tall V2

**Chapter 11**

**Standing Tall**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

_I had a dream._

_In this dream, I saw the sun form, its glow stride out, blinding me. Then a planet formed, with a light that looked like a black moon falling to it._

_Afterwards, a world not as big collided with it, and I saw the light that looked like a black moon strike out against a new light that resembled a white moon, which had seemed to have landed from the second, smaller world._

_In the end, a white moon formed from the ejected matter from the impact._

_The white moon soul from the second world was struck with a lance of red light, and grew dim, and thus the light of the black moon reigned on the first world._

_Soon, continents formed, and the world grew blue and green._

_Then a shadow hit it, and the world grew dark once again._

_But the green and blue returned, and soon the green gave way to that of what looked like deserts, followed by cities._

_Soon, I saw the lance of red grow dim, and the white moon soul flash out, trying to reclaim what it had lost._

_But the red lance of light flashed again, and it grew dim once more._

_But not before spores of light shot out, filling areas. These lights numbered at fifteen. _

_And thus with the white moon soul awakening once again, the black moon soul began to grow dim, as both competed for the light of life._

_And then a form that resembled me appeared; neither emitting the light of the dark moon or the light of the white moon. And as the lights of those two souls grew dim, my own light grew brighter, as if whatever starved them had no ill effect on me._

_But the white soul grew hate filled, and thus sent its seeds of white after me, trying to strike me down._

_The black moon soul seemed to agree with this, and thus sent its own lights after me, one shimmering in blue._

_This blue light stood before, me, as if examining me, and soon approached._

_Inside it was no malice, no hatred, and no happiness._

_As it touched me, I filled it with hope, with love, with happiness, and thus it left the black moon behind, attaching itself to me._

_  
Soon, two others distanced themselves from the black moon soul, and joined themselves to me; each a color of red._

_From the white moon, the last seed ejected from it saw me, and joined as well._

_Soon, it was my own light that filled the world, as the light from the black moon and the white moon faded into nothingness._

_And that is where the dream ends._

_Am I a moon as well? And what do the lights of defectors represent? I know not what this means, but know it means something._

_Is it my future?_

_Is it my past?_

_Or is it something beyond what I can understand at the moment?_

_In the end, I can only ask one question; one I seem to ask all too often._

_Why me?_

* * *

_Fifteen years ago. 2000 AD_

The wind struck him, trying to strike him down as it had the others.

But he had one goal; one desire; one wish.

He would save her.

He was truly sorry for how he had treated her.

But in the end, it came down to one justification: it was all for her.

This trip, his life these last few years; they were all to spare her an even greater pain.

And he had failed.

So he trudged forward, now with only one hope: to spare her death, and let her continue to live.

Despair, sorrow; these emotions filled his mind, numbing him to the pain his wounds gave him, the fear of what was happening behind him gave him.

But he continued on.

_I'm sorry, my daughter; I'm so sorry I could not spare you the pain I know is coming._

_But at least...you'll still be alive._

_Now, that is all I can hope for._

_And I hope that someday, you can forgive an old man for forgetting to remind you of my love while I tried this pursuit._

Inside a warehouse, he saw the escape pods: meant as a last resort should the mission prove foolish.

And only one survived. _Somehow, I find this fitting; that only the true innocent shall survive this day._

Reaching his damaged arm outward, he opened the pod, and carefully placed his daughter inside as best as he could. Looking down, he saw her eyes shake, as she began to awaken.

In his mind; he could see what might have been. He saw her grow up, he saw her find love as well as a future at Tokyo University—it had been her mother's dream for her to go there, he saw the day she'd marry, the grandchildren he might spoil.

He saw everything...everything he would no longer have a chance to see.

His tears flowed, mixing with the blood on his face that flowed from the wounds on his head.

He was the last of the team, and he would do this; God be damned, he would save her.

Blood and tears fell from his face, splattering her cheek.

Smiling, he said the only thing he could think of. "I love you, Misato-chan."

The girl's eyes shivered, before she turned to face him, her eyes opening in question and fear. "Father?"

The pod doors slammed shut, and he smiled. _You're safe, that's all I asked for. _

_I am ready now, to die._

_Thank you, God, for allowing me to at least...say...goodbye._

And thus, with a smile, he collapsed onto the pod.

And Second Impact occurred.

* * *

In the seas, the pod opened again, as Misato got to her knees, her injuries forgotten, as she cradled her side.

She looked towards the horizon, where twin pillars of light grew from the depths of the ocean towards the heavens, the very clouds themselves circling them. A rain of light began to fall, as if the sky itself was now showering shooting stars to the earth.

But she wasn't thinking of it. She was thinking of one person who had brought her there, who had caused her so much pain, and the pain it had caused her mother.

"_I love you, Misato-chan."_

She continued to stare, long past the time when the lights stopped, and time held any meaning.

In her mind, her soul continued to debate whether she should hate the man for taking her there, or hate him for saving her.

* * *

Misato just stared into the mirror as she placed her bra on, the scar still there.

She wasn't really certain why she was staring at it. She was certain it had a meaning, but the meaning shifted, changed, as her mood did.

It was a reminder to enjoy life.

It was a reminder of death.

It was a reminder of betrayal.

It was also a reminder of a talk her and Shinji had had a week ago, right before the arrival of Units 03 and 04.

* * *

_One week ago..._

Misato was in the same position as before, staring at the scar.

"Not that I don't mind the view," said Shinji, having opened the door to tell her breakfast was ready and catching her in what appeared to be a morning ritual, "but you need to let go."

"Excuse me?" she asked, not yet turning from the mirror. She knew by now that when Shinji did stuff like this, there was usually a point, and he was known to make it quite embarrassing for a person should they stall needlessly.

"Come on, Misato; even I can see that it's hurting you." He walked towards her, wrapping his arms from behind her around her waist, his four wings wrapping around her as well; but leaving her scar still exposed to the mirror. "I don't know why it affects you so. Perhaps...I'll never know. But I know doing this won't change anything."

"Do you have scars, Shinji?" she asked.

"No," he said. "At least, not the ones you can physically see."

He looked beside her shoulder, towards the mirror. "What does it say to you?"

She stayed silent, but was uncertain whether it was because she didn't want to answer...or couldn't.

He let go, the wings flowed away from her body, taking their form behind his back. "I'm not certain if when you ascend, it will be gone. But...you carry it too much as it is."

He began to walk away, when she called out. "Shinji?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you carry your scars?" She hoped that perhaps his answer might help her.

His face stared at the ground. "I carry them...because they keep me grounded; keep me from forgetting that...I'm still human.

"As such, I am just as capable of folly or error as any soul. It...makes me feel human...no matter what I look like."

She nodded.

"Breakfast is ready, by the way," he said, shutting her door.

* * *

He left it at that, never another word spoke on the issue, leaving it up to her to speak.

So, when she left the room, she returned to her usual self as far as people who truly didn't know her were concerned.

And seeing him later in the week talking on the phone with his guardians, she decided to tease him. That ended...poorly.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but I've been busy, Mother."

Misato looked towards her remaining roommate; Rei and Asuka currently at NERV for some more tests to ensure their ascension wasn't causing any unknown effects.

Shinji had only been excused because he was currently being scanned constantly while he was inside the newly arrived EVAs, trying to get them to generate S2 organs.

As such, he had come home, showered, and was communicating with his guardians.

"No, Mother, I'm not ditching you to be on my own."

So, she decided to tease him. Speaking loudly enough to ensure she was heard, she spoke up. "Come back to bed, Shinji-kun. You promised we would be enjoying ourselves all day."

She was rewarded with his face paling and the voice output on the phone seeming to triple to the point where she would swear she could almost understand the woman on the other end.

"NO! Mom, it ain't like that!"

"Shinji, come on, we still have to be careful about the baby, so no rough stuff!"

Shinji glared at her as the phone literally began to jump around in his hand.

Smirking, he put the phone closer to his face. "Maybe you can talk some sense into her, Mom. Seems Misato wants to keep drinking."

As the loudness returned, he handed the phone to Misato. "She wants to talk to you about the safety of our child." Walking towards the kitchen, he called back. "Enjoy...dear."

* * *

Misato shivered at that memory. The woman had talked to her for several hours about fetal care and making certain her grandchild was born healthy and even discussing moving in to ensure that Misato wasn't a threat to the child.

It took another few hours to convince the woman that Misato had been pulling a prank.

It was only after that the woman had said something that was continuing to haunt Misato to this day.

"_By the way, I knew all along. Shinji's not the type of boy to do that. And if you're wondering where he got his little vicious streak from? _

"_Let's just say my husband and I aren't the traditional type of people, and we raised Shinji not to be either."_

_Well, that explains so much about Shinji. I swear; the boy can be worse than me._

The days were quiet for a bit. The other pilot had arrived, but had yet to meet Shinji. According to Toji, the new kid was an oddball like Rei, but more so.

Considering the source, it was difficult to decipher that meaning.

Of course, the new units had their S2 organs quickly, as Shinji's second set of wings seemed to add to his power.

So now, the boy rested at home, the exertion seeming to tire him out just as much as it had when he empowered Units 00 and 02.

She looked away from the mirror. _Shinji's right._

_I am carrying this way too often._

Sadly, she didn't know how to put down the weight.

* * *

"Thanks, Shinji; you really saved us from that rain storm," said Kensuke.

Shinji just smiled as he handed the three boys some towels to dry off. "Why did you guys come out anyway?"

Toji just smiled. "Well, I wanted to introduce you to Kaoru; the Fifth Child and pilot of Unit 04."

Kensuke just sighed. He had been hoping that he would be chosen. But, he still held out hope that a Unit 05 would arrive soon and he could get his chance.

Shinji offered his hand to the Fifth Child. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," said the grey haired boy.

"Um," said Shinji, "do you have any family? You sort of look like you might be related to Rei."

Kaoru shook his head. "We're not that closely related. An optimistic view would be that of siblings, but we've never met before my arrival here."

Shinji just shrugged. It wasn't like he hadn't heard of weirder stories.

"May I ask about the wings?" said Kaoru. "I had heard from the First and Second Child that you were the originator of such traits."

Shinji rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Yeah, I seem to cause people to...develop them."

"I'll say," mumbled Toji; still simmering from his sister's long speech about how he shouldn't yell at her Shinji during her flight lessons.

Kaoru nodded. "I am certain you did not intend for it to happen."

"Where's Rei?" asked Toji, not used to seeing Shinji around without his shadow.

"She went shopping with Mana."

It was true...sort of. Mana had dragged Rei out for shopping before the storm hit. It seemed the JA pilot was also intent on breaking the First Child out of her introverted shell.

"So, where's Misato?" asked Kensuke, trying to keep the attention from being on yet another thing he would not have for a while. Even Toji was told his wings might form before the end of the week.

On the upside, Kensuke had planned to constantly tease said friend about being a chaperone for his little sister's dates with Shinji.

"I think she went back to sleep after she saw PenPen when she returned from work."

The two boys blinked while Kaoru looked slightly confused.

"Huh?" asked Toji.

His answer was a penguin entering the front room with a drink for Shinji.

Now while it wasn't odd for the two local boys to see the penguin being nice to Shinji—as said boy always bought and made great food for the water fowl—it was unusual to see two wings with a mixture of black and white feathers on PenPen's back.

As the penguin retreated, the two friends could only continue to stare.

Kaoru just looked on. "My, I have never seen such a thing before."

Shinji nodded. "They think it's because he's genetically engineered or something."

"So Misato took one look at the flying penguin and..."

Shinji nodded towards Kensuke.

"So, then she is still asleep?" asked Toji.

Kaoru just resumed smiling. Meeting the Third Child was proving to be quite enjoyable. Already he had seen a boy with four wings being served by a penguin with for wings.

_Or does one set count only as flippers?_

"She needs it," said Shinji, offering them seats as PenPen brought in hot chocolate.

Shinji thanked him, promising to make something extra special for him tonight, which caused the penguin to literally float back towards the kitchen.

Ignoring the look of shock growing once again on Toji and Kensuke's face, Shinji continued. "She'd been working all night recently. If she keeps this up, she might burn herself out."

"Well, she does have a tough job," said Toji.

"Then, we'll just have to be quiet and not disturb her," said Kensuke as he resumed drying his hair with the towel.

"Excellent suggestion, Kensuke-kun," said Kaoru.

The other boys were used to his friendly references.

Shinji didn't really care.

"AHHHHH!"

The four boys looked towards Asuka's room, seeing the now irate redhead peaking out from behind a curtain.

"What are you doing in here?" she wailed.

Shinji sighed. While Rei was making great progress coming out of her shell—despite her occasional dry humor towards Asuka, Asuka had yet to make much progress. "I live here, they are guests seeking shelter from the rain, and can you quiet down as Misato's trying to sleep?"

"You guys are after me, aren't you?"

Shinji's eyes turned stern.

Asuka continued, not allowing anyone a chance to answer. "Well, I'm changing in here, and if you peep, I'll kill you!" With that, she yanked the curtain closed.

Shinji sighed. "Why are we the peepers? She's the one always flashing everyone."

Kaoru continued to smile. _Yes, this outing was truly worth it. Such excitement!_

Toji just growled. "What an idiot. Who'd want to see her anyway?"

Shinji shifted his eyes towards the Fourth Child. "Don't you have a client list to tell you that?"

Seeing Kaoru's confusion, he elaborated, even as his friends grew pale. "They sell photos of her to the guys at school."

"I think I understand," said the Fifth Child. "I recall reading about such behavior. Does this mean that Toji-kun desires an intimate relationship with Asuka-chan?"

A thump was heard as Toji then passed out.

Kensuke shook his head. "I highly doubt it."

Their conversation ended as another door opened, revealing the woman of the house.

Kensuke began to stutter. "S-s-s-s-sorry for disturbing you, Misato-san!"

Hearing the name, Toji worked his way to standing, soon bowing and uttering apologies as well.

Shinji just stood shaking his head and holding the bridge of his nose, while Kaoru just smiled, thoroughly enjoying this outing.

"Hello; how is everyone?" asked Misato, her voice back to her cheerful self.

"Now don't be late you guys, we're having a harmonics test later today."

Shinji, Toji, and Kaoru nodded; the latter two finally getting to pilot their EVAs. So far, they had only seen them.

Toji loved the fact that his EVA was dark colored. It made him feel like the "bad boy" of the group.

"Did you hear that, Asuka?" she said, looking towards the curtain.

"Yeah, yeah," came the annoyed reply.

This, however, gave Kensuke the opportunity to see Misato's new rank on her collar.

Squealing in shock, he immediately bowed again. Congratulations on your promotion, Misato-san!"

Toji followed suit. "Congratulation!"

"Thank you," she said, now recalling the dinner Shinji had made to celebrate it. She could still taste the sauce he had made for the noodles.

"You're most welcome," said the Two Stooges as Shinji and Kaoru looked on.

As Misato left, Kaoru shook his head. "Her soul is sad, but she continued to pretend happiness."

Shinji nodded. "She's working on facing her demons. But...she's getting better."

Kaoru turned to him. "So, you noticed it as well, the way her soul sung was quite sad."

He nodded.

"Misato was promoted," said Asuka, coming out and drying her hair.

Toji snorted. "Like you would see anything beyond your ego."

"Watch it, Fourth Child, before I pop you."

Shinji just shook his head again, turning to Kaoru. "Would you like another drink?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, Shinji-kun."

Shinji smiled, before walking towards the kitchen.

Kaoru followed. So far, the Third Child was proving to provide much entertainment, as well as appeared to have great insight into the people around him.

But what struck him as odd was the way Shinji's soul sung to him. Overall, the melody was pleasant.

But...there were undertones that...confused the Fifth Child. What those tones meant, he had no clue.

That unknown was proving to be a great gift for him. After all, he always looked to learn something new.

After all, he was a being of Free Will.

* * *

The five pilots sat inside their plugs, the tests underway.

Maya looked up from her screen towards Ritsuko. "Units 00, 02, and 03 are at the edge of their contamination zones. They've reached their current limits."

"And the others?" asked Dr. Akagi.

"Shinji and Kaoru can tolerate just a little more, can't they? Lower the graph depth another 0.3."

The data came back in. "They've almost reached the edge of the contamination zone."

The point of these tests were a little weird, in most of their opinions, and mainly for Kaoru and Toji.

When the other pilots released their wings, their sync score would surpassed one hundred percent and hover around one-twenty-five. Right now, they were seeing how close they could get to one hundred without their wings loose.

"And they're still getting these readings," said Ritsuko in awe. "My, we seem to have two prodigies on our hands."

"The harmonics and sync ratio of Asuka and Rei are quickly catching up to Shinji's. Most likely, Toji's will as well when he ascends. Since Kaoru is already that close, it's quite amazing."

Ritsuko nodded. She had a damn good idea **why** Shinji could do what he did. _Could someone have done to Kaoru what they did to Shinji? If so, does that mean Kaoru is ascended as well? If so, then why hasn't his wings come out?_

_Maybe, they can't come out yet. I'll have to talk to Shinji about this. He deserves to know._

Ritsuko decided to trust Shinji a lot. The boy—in all honesty—was a kind soul, and Ritsuko found herself trusting of him. She didn't know why, but she knew he'd never abuse that trust.

Misato looked on, as a tech suggested that Shinji and Kaoru were born to pilot EVAs. Part of her wondered if that was true for Kaoru, but her inclination towards Shinji made her feel...off...about that comment. _Maybe...Shinji was changed to pilot EVA by his Father._

_If so...why?_

* * *

"Excellent work, everyone," said Misato.

"Your overall harmonics have all increased since the last test," said Ritsuko. "Toji alone is up to forty-seven percent. Considering the base line curve set by Asuka and Rei, he's doing quite well."

Toji smiled at that, seeming to stand tall.

Asuka snorted. "Still behind me."

Shinji growled. "He's been doing this for a few months and got up that high, Asuka. How long did it take you?"

"That doesn't matter," said the redhead, now the attention of the group.

"I agree," said Kaoru. "Toji-kun has made tremendous progress."

It was now Asuka's turn to growl. "And how long did it take you, Fifth Child?"

"Oh, I forget," he said. "It's not like it's the most important thing in my life."

"I'm going home now," shouted Asuka. "Idiots."

Rei stared at her. "I still say Pilot Soryu needs to be tested. She exhibits all the symptoms of a rabid animal."

* * *

It was only Misato and Shinji in the car as it drove back to their apartment; Asuka deciding to take public transport and Rei needing to take care of some things.

Shinji turned to face Misato. "You don't like receiving praise, do you?"

Misato nodded. "No, I don't."

"But it does have the benefit of making Asuka mad."

Misato laughed a bit at that. "I suppose it does have **that** benefit."

Shinji stared out the window at the passing mountain scene as they drove. "I wish I knew why she's so angry all the time."

"That bothers you," she asked, "that Asuka hasn't shared her demons with you?"

He nodded. "I don't like seeing anyone suffer. Well, maybe Gendo, but I don't like seeing anyone else suffer; especially not my friends."

"You always seem to watch the faces of everyone," she said as they drove into a tunnel. _But who watches your face?_

* * *

Another Promotion Party was being held at the apartment, with all the pilots and Hikari gathered, having been invited by Asuka.

"Thanks, Mr. Suzuhara."

Toji blushed. "No, no. This wasn't my brainchild. It was this guy right here!"

Kensuke stood up. "That's right. It was I; Kensuke Aida. I was the planner!"

Shinji just palmed his face. _Man, I really need to get more mature friends._

"Well, thank you, Mr. Aida."

"Think nothing of it," said a now embarrassed Kensuke. "It was an honor to do this for you."

Toji turned towards Hikari. "Why exactly is the class rep here?"

"Because I invited her, stooge," spat out Asuka.

The two girls turned to each other, saying "Right!", while PenPen nodded and warked in agreement.

"Most unusual," said Kaoru.

"Darn," said Asuka, "I wonder why Mr. Kaji is so late."

Shinji scooted a bit from Misato, as did Rei.

"Oh, Mr. Kaji?" said Hikari. "Is he that really cool guy?"

The First and Third Child proceeded to scoot a bit farther away, as well as angling away from the door and any large objects Misato might decide to use to "welcome" Kaji.

_Interesting._ Kaoru was wondering why the First and Third Child were distancing themselves from Major Katsuragi.

"Oh, yeah," said Asuka. "He's so much better than these dweebs it's like night and day. It's an insult to compare them to him."

"What did you say?" asked Toji.

Shinji decided to spare the newcomer and motioned for Kaoru to back up as well.

Kaoru decided to trust the Third Child, as his soul seemed to sing of caring for his welfare.

Shinji bent closer to Rei. "Rei, can you take Kaoru to the kitchen and...inform him...or some of the ground rules for discussions."

She nodded. Standing up, she motioned for Kaoru to follow her. She felt something off about the Fifth Child, as if he had somehow offended her. She wasn't certain why. But the reaction was too illogical for her to put much concern in.

For now, she'd treat him as any other pilot...well, better than how she treated Asuka at least.

Shinji sat beside Misato now. He felt her unease starting to build again as the other teenagers began to bicker. In all likelihood, she was feeling it because of the party, and as a friend, he needed to be there. "You don't like being here, do you?"

Misato sighed, holding up her drink to hide her mouth from the others. "I told you; praise isn't something I enjoy lots of."

Shinji nodded. "Can you tell me why?"

"Not certain."

Shinji stared with her at the others; even PenPen was getting into the fight as well.

Shinji decided to try and lighten the mood. "Your promotion... That means someone has been noticing the kind of work you've been doing, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

Shinji sighed. _Man, this is one thick wall._ "That's why they're happy for you. They're happy that others appreciate you for what you've done.

"But...you don't look happy about it."

"Oh, I'm happy," she said. "But that's not why I work there."

That got Shinji attention. He knew of only one other reason she might work there. _Please, tell me I'm wrong._

Sadly, it made sense. Second Impact; and her as the lone survivor, had been caused by an Angel. Her initial reaction to his winged appearance of that of an angel made her frightened and angry.

"Then why did you join NERV, Misato?"

"Well, I don't remember that either. It's been so long." She turned to see Shinji looking away from her, a sad smile on his face. _Besides, I think you already know. Just know Shinji...I don't see you like that. Maybe they really are false angels, because you seem like a true angel to me._

Her musings were cut short as the doorbell rang.

"That's got to be Mr. Kaji!" screamed Asuka.

Rei and Kaoru poked their heads from the kitchen.

"You are correct," said Kaoru. "Her moods seem to shift almost instantaneously. Quite a sight."

Rei nodded. "Continue to observe. It will better prepare you for dealing with her during missions."

They saw it again as Asuka's happy demeanor quickly turned to being upset.

Kaji waved, as Ritsuko stepped in beside him. "I came here directly from headquarters, and guess who I met on the way."

Misato and Asuka just stared. "That's rather suspicious."

Shinji sighed. "Ritsuko-san, did you find what I told you about?"

The angry female eyes turned towards the Third Child.

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Well...she was wanting to move, when I told her that the apartment building had some open suites, and they even allowed pets, so..."

Ritsuko giggled. "Were you jealous, Misato?"

"Absolutely not," said Misato as she began to honestly drink her beer.

"Anyway," continued Kaji, bowing, "I'd like to give my fondest regards, Major Katsuragi." Standing back up from his bow, he smiled. "I suppose I'll have to be polite to you from now on."

Despite Asuka's stare, Misato was still staring at the man. "What was that you were saying, you jerk?"

Kaji decided to change tactics. "You know, it's unprecedented for both the Commander and Sub Commander to leave Japan together. I guess they must really count on old Katsuragi here."

"He left Japan?" asked Shinji, before clapping his hands and praying loudly. "God, you owe me. Let some horrible death befall the bastard and all is forgiven."

* * *

Kaoru was stunned. "He does not like the Commander?"

"No," said Rei. "They are father and son, and he has high amounts of rage against him."

Kaoru nodded. "Why are you eating popcorn?"

"It is the snack food that we have at the party that I have often observed people eating while watch a drama or comedy."

"May I have some?"

"Only if you have washed your hands."

* * *

Ritsuko giggled. "He's at the South Pole at the moment."

Shinji sighed. "I never get anything I ask for."

* * *

The UN Fleet was returning towards Japan, a long object was strapped to the deck and covered.

Kozo stood in the observation deck. "Nothing living is allowed to exist in the world of death we call Antarctica."

Sighing he stared out onto the red waters. "Or perhaps I should simply call it Hell?"

"Nevertheless," said Gendo, "we: mankind, are still here. We're living things, and we are alive."

"That's because we're under the protection of science."

"Science is the power of Man."

Kozo shook his head. "That arrogance it exactly what caused the tragedy of fifteen years ago: Second Impact." He waved his arms towards the viewing windows. "And this...is the end result. This is a greater punishment than we deserve.

"This is a real Dead Sea."

"Yet this is a world that has been purified, purged of the original sin," said Gendo.

"I'd rather live in a world where people live...no matter how stained with sin." _Maybe a world your son is slowly creating._

Of course, news—especially bad news—always picks the worst time to arrive.

The intercom came on. "Report from the bridge. Message received from NERV Headquarters. An Angel has been detected in orbit above the Indian Ocean."

Gendo nodded. "Though it seems the final test is still occurring."

* * *

Makoto turned around in his chair. "The Angel just appeared two minutes ago."

A voice of a tech came over the speaker. "Sending Search Satellite Number 6 to that orbit."

Misato, Sanada, Ritsuko, and Rara were standing before the view screen as the data came in.

"Well," said Sanada, "persistent, aren't they."

Rara nodded. "Yes, you have to admire their conviction. But considering the data we have on the others, it makes me wonder what this one plans to do."

"T-2 minutes until contact," came a male voice over the speakers.

"The target has been sighted," said Makoto, as the view changed to show a real-time image of the Angel.

Sanada and Rara shivered. The Angel reminded them of their common mother-in-law: big, ugly, and the same eye that stared at you and promised nothing but death and pain, casting your soul to hell.

God rest her soul.

"That's impressive," said Makoto, seeing the measurements for the size of the Angel.

Misato sighed. "I don't believe it." _Now what?_

"Satellite Number 6 is closing for contact with the target," said Shigeru.

The satellite began scanning the Angel.

Sadly, the Angel didn't like them peeking at it.

The image on the screen turned to static as the satellite was destroyed.

"Was that an AT Field?" asked Misato.

Dr. Akagi nodded. "That was a new way of using it."

* * *

They were now at a briefing table, looking over some photos from the Angel's attacks.

Misato stared at them. "What incredible destructive power. That's an AT Field!"

Maya nodded. "It's even using kinetic energy. The Angel is, itself, like a huge bomb."

"In any case," said Ritsuko, "its first attack missed the target and hit the Pacific Ocean."

"It gets even worse," said Sanada. The next photo showed a small explosion at the epicenter of the impact. "Whatever caused the last Angel's blood to ignite also seems to be in this one was well. If it's only putting a bit of it into its tests..."

Rara finished. "Then the big one will be a real doozy."

Ritsuko nodded. "Every two hours, it tries again. And it appears to be correcting its error ratio."

"That means it's learning, huh?" said Misato.

Makoto showed the next photo. "An N2 air bomb had no effect on it. Since then, it's been missing."

Sanada nodded. "Rara, you told me Trident had a sensor package."

Rara nodded while smiling. "Yes, we made it for recon missions. We got it at the hanger. Why?"

Sanada pointed towards the last photo of the Angel. "Satellites can't get near it, so maybe a long range scan can keep track of it and tell us when and where it's coming."

Rara nodded. "We can have it installed in an hour. But, where do we look?"

Misato just smiled. "It's coming here." _They all do._

"Yes," said Ritsuko, "and when it does, it'll probably drop itself."

"And its explosive package," said Sanada.

"What are the damages if it hits?" asked Misato.

Ritsuko shook her head. "With the amount of explosive we think it's carrying...slightly less than the impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.

"Japan won't be around anymore."

"Can we reach the Commander?" Misato asked.

Shigeru shook his head. "It's impossible due to the Angel's jamming."

"Will that senor network work?" she now asked, turning to Rara.

He nodded. "We designed it to cut through all known forms of electromagnetic blocks thanks to some...donated tech." That had been what they were referring to whatever new science was handed to the JA projects by their unknown benefactors before the Angels returned.

These benefactors had since disappeared.

"What's the MAGI's judgment?"

Maya shook her head. "They agree that if its kinetic force doesn't destroy everything within fifty kilometers, the resulting explosion from the blood will."

"So," Misato said, turning down to face the Angel's photo, "we have no options of running." She turned towards Sanada. "What about the defensive shields for the city that you were working on?"

He shook his head. "We simply don't have the power. At this point, we can't even prevent wind damage. We need about another month to get the first new fusion plant online, let alone the other three we're planning to use to allow a feasible defense."

"What will you do?" asked Ritsuko. "You're the one in charge of all this now."

Misato stood straight. She knew what she had to do.

Tokyo-3 would not fall on her watch.

* * *

Shinji and the other pilots were on their way to the briefing room, Mana having been taken directly to the Trident hanger.

But even they had heard of Misato's orders.

Everyone within fifty kilometers was ordered to evacuate. Beyond fifty kilometers, they were ordered to seek immediate shelter.

A storm was coming, and though he knew it was an Angel, it was still too far away for him to sense.

When they had arrived, they saw the city being lowered into the ground. He could even feel that the number of people in the Geo-front itself was greatly reduced.

They were all signs an Angel was approaching, but he had no idea where it was coming from. _Maybe we caught a break and finally got some advanced warning?_

_But if so, then why are there so few people here?_

* * *

In the women's restroom, Misato and Ritsuko had gathered to talk. Ritsuko knew her friend was really beginning to feel the stress. "So, you're going to do it."

"Yes, I am," said Misato, staring into the mirror again.

Ritsuko nodded. "With five EVAs, I believe we can pull it off. I'm just glad that the American branches got off their asses and sent them to us." She really didn't like the odds for success the MAGI gave her if they had only had three EVAs.

Of course, Misato's current idea still had a chance of success for less than one percent: 0.0000045 to be exact.

But compared to the other ideas available, seeing as how AT Field of the Angel was too strong for the JAs to punch through...

Hell, it was there best shot to survive.

"I trust the EVAs," she said. "I trust the pilots." _I trust Shinji to continue to be a guardian angel for us all._

"Misato," she said, "please tell me you're not risking everyone just for your own revenge. Tell me that, and I'll continue to support you. Just tell me this isn't revenge against the Angels." Ritsuko was no stranger to Misato's past. Being a close confidant of Gendo Ikari did have some perks...like the full psych and history files on all employees.

* * *

"Catch it with our hands? Are you fucking nuts?" yelled out Asuka.

"That's right," said Misato to the five pilots. "We'll position your EVAs in the estimated drop zone. When we receive word from Trident about the estimated impact point, the EVAs will converge there. Then you will catch it while maintaining your AT Fields at full strength."

"And if we miss or it ain't where it's supposed to be?" asked Toji.

"Then we'll be a little put out."

"What if the EVAs are unable to withstand the shock?"

"We'll be put out in that case, too."

No one mentioned what they knew she meant by being "put out".

"What are our chances for success?" asked Shinji, his instincts telling him that he **really** didn't want to know.

"God only knows. I have no idea."

Shinji sighed. Yep, he **really** didn't want to know that.

"If we succeed," said Asuka, "it'll be a miracle."

Toji chuckled. "Come on, I've seen the footage. Shinji pulls a miracle everyday." Toji then took an exaggerated stand. "For his next miracle, he'll get Kensuke a girlfriend...without paying them, blackmail, or drugs."

Rei shook her head. "I doubt even God can do that."

Toji smiled. _Man, I love this new Rei. If she keeps this up, Asuka will call her a new stooge._

He didn't know he was already too late in that idea.

_Damn stooge-ette!_

"Don't try, Shinji," said Misato, "we need to save everything we can. It's not until we've done everything we can to cause a miracle that it becomes viable."

"You mean we've got to be willing to sacrifice ourselves," said Asuka.

"We need to be to pilot, Asuka," said Shinji. "I know I pilot to protect lives, even if in the end, it costs my own."

"An admirable trait, Shinji-kun," said Kaoru.

"I'm sorry," said Misato, "but at this point, we're all out of other options. By the time it'd get close enough for the JA weapons to be effective, it'd be too late and our defensive field is useless at this point. We have to go forward with this operation."

"An operation?" Asuka yelled out. "You can call something this crazy an operation?"

"Not too hard," said Shinji. "If we didn't have the S2 organs, yeah...it'd be difficult. But the EVAs can keep an AT Field up long enough. We'll just need to position everyone after we hit the core to focus the blast straight up."

"Right," said Asuka, "and then we can all go and watch the Fist Child dance at a strip club!"

"I cannot," said Rei. She paused a bit. "My hip is hurting too much."

Toji tried to hold it in...he really did. "BWA HAHAHAHAHA!"

Misato smiled. Rei seemed to be getting better at her timing. Truthfully, she was enjoying seeing Rei come out of her shell...even if her humor was a little dry...scary...or way more perverted than some of the jokes even Misato knew. "Anyway, you can feel free to back out of this if you want."

No one said a thing.

"So, you are okay with this?"

Still the children were silent.

Misato smiled. "Sorry, but regulations state you are all supposed to write a will. Have you done that?"

"Feh," said Toji. "Not like we're gonna die."

"Agreed," said Kaoru. "I have no intention of ending my existence this day."

"I don't need it, either," said Asuka. "I'm not going to die just yet."

"Neither do I," said Rei. "There is no need for it. I do not want Pilot Soryu to have my clothes and they do not fit Shinji-kun."

"Me either," said Shinji. "Damn penguin would just sell it all, anyway."

Misato had no idea if he was serious or not. PenPen had been acting...weirder...since he ascended.

"Again," said Misato," I'm sorry.

"But once we complete this operation, I'll treat you all to a steak dinner."

"Really?" came the excited response of Asuka and Toji.

"I promise," said Misato, once again thanking Ritsuko for mentioning they could not only use the NERV expense account again thanks to the influx of funds from NERV memorabilia, but that Accounting could write it off as a business expense.

With that, she left the briefing room.

Immediately, Asuka's face drooped.

Shinji sighed. "I sure hope she doesn't expect a steak dinner to impress us." _It's still a nice thought, though._

"It impressed me," said Toji, already tasting the medium-rare steak he was currently imagining.

"Fire impresses you, stooge," said Asuka. "A steak? Really? The Second Impact generation has such cheap standards."

Taking out a brochure from her satchel, Asuka began to open it. "Well, if she's going to go through with it, I'd better figure out where she's taking us."

"I do hope that they have vegetarian steak," said Kaoru. "I dislike meat."

"I agree," said Rei.

Shinji blinked. "Come to think of it, aren't you Vegan, Rei?"

"No, I dislike meat. My ramen does have eggs in them, which I have been informed does not count as a Vegan lifestyle, so I am now vegetarian."

"Why the change?" asked Shinji. "I'm sure we can find you Vegan ramen."

"As a woman, I have been informed I have a legal right to change my mind."

Shinji stayed quiet.

* * *

"Because of the Angel's ECM, we've lost track of it. Even with the Trident in the air, we'll have only an extra minute to get to a position to stop it.

"Currently, the MAGI have estimated a possible drop zone based on the data collected before it got lost."

Toji took one look at the area and summed it up. "Shit, we're screwed."

Shinji looked it over. "Maybe not. If I hit the center, and we put Rei and Asuka at the far points, you and Kaoru near the shorter areas, we'll have a perfect chance for one of us to catch it."

He turned back to Misato. "I assume you weren't kidding about that minute?"

Rara chuckled. "The ECM the Angel's using is no match for the Trident's upgraded sensor package." He then scratched his head. "Of course, Mana was a little upset that she won't be participating in the battle."

"I would hope so," said Ritsuko. "Judging by the size of the Angel's AT Field, it could completely annihilate headquarters on the initial impact of any of these areas."

"That's why we're dispersing the EVAs at these points." Misato's smirk fell as the positions matched exactly what Shinji had suggested. "You're not gunning for my job, are you, Shinji-kun?" she teased.

He just smiled. "Nah, the hours suck and I'd be making less than I do now." He looked at her. "How'd you come up with it?"

Misato smiled. "Woman's intuition."

Asuka palmed her forehead. "Sloppy, our miracle's getting farther and farther away."

"We'll do it," said Shinji. "Hell, I'll even make a bet with you, Asuka." Seeing he had her interest, he smiled. "If I am the first to catch the Angelic Cannonball, then you have to go to Misato's steak dinner...with Kensuke."

"WHAT?"

He chuckled. "I'm going for two miracles."

"Isn't that against the rules?" asked Toji.

"Your rules were no blackmail, bribes, or drugging. Bets were not disallowed." Rei stared forward.

"And what does she get if someone else is the first?" asked Kaoru.

Asuka's anger disappeared in a flash, being replaced with a smile that frightened a few techs. "Oh, I know something, hee-hee. But you won't find out until after this Angel is stopped." Shinji remained calm...on the outside.

Inside...yeah, he was a little worried. He had no idea what Asuka would require. All he knew was that it'd be painful in one form or another.

Toji leaned towards Kaoru so he could whisper. "¥2000 says it involves him in her dress with full makeup and wig, with jewelry."

Kaoru turned to him. "And that would be embarrassing?"

Toji shook his head. "Man, we have **got** to get you out more."

"And what are we supposed to do after we pierce the core?" said Rei.

Misato smiled. "Shinji will stay in the center with his four wings deployed and form the base. The rest of you will go in a cardinal direction: Rei to the north, Toji to the East, Kaoru to the West, and Asuka to the South. You for will produce a curved AT Field, which will form an AT Field dish. This dish will direct all of the blast's energy back into the atmosphere, so we won't have to worry about any ground fallout, let alone wind and force."

"And this will work?" asked Asuka.

Misato shrugged.

* * *

Shinji sat inside Unit 01, waiting for word from Mana.

Inside, he began to reflect. Mostly these reflections were about his talk earlier with Misato.

* * *

"Shinji, yesterday you asked me why I joined NERV?

"My father was a man who lived for his research...for his dreams...to the exclusion of all else.

"I could never forgive him for that. In fact...I even hated him for it."

"Sort of like my own father," whispered Shinji.

"He never took care of me, my mother, or my family. His friends would always say he was very sensitive and delicate; but the truth was that he was just a weak person who just didn't want to face reality; the reality called his family.

"He was just a kid...so I agreed with my mom when she decided to divorce him...because she was always crying.

"He was depressed about it, but I just laughed at him; he got what I felt he deserved.

"But he sacrificed himself to save me during Second Impact.

"After that, I didn't know if I loved him or hated him. There was only one thing clear to me: I wanted to destroy the Angels that had caused Second Impact.

"So, in order to do that, I joined NERV.

Misato sighed as the sun began to go down. "It might be that I still hate him and just want to avenge my father, so that I can free myself of him."

Shinji couldn't help it as images played out through his mind.

His father and the day he abandoned Shinji, the dream where the red light once again speared the white moon soul, a moment's tear when he sat in his bedroom crying about his life.

* * *

Shinji stayed inside the EVA, staring at nothing.

"**She really trusted you, you know?"**

_I know. She's suffering so much. I'm trying to reach her...to give her hope..._

"**You can only help a willing soul, Shinji."**

_But why was the dream coming to my thoughts when she talked about Second Impact?_

**  
"Dreams can have many meanings. Maybe it is just a dream, maybe it has more meaning."**

_That isn't helping._

"**Fine then, tell me about the others. You've told me about Nao and Kyoko, but what about 03 and 04?"**

_Well, Unit 03 must have spent some long hours aware with someone with a weird accent. He says it is a New York accent, but beats me; I have no idea how to tell for certain._

_Also, he doesn't want a Japanese name; he wants an American name, as he puts it._

"**Male?"**

_Both of them. Unit 04 is a lot deeper. It says it had access to a database and studied Native American history and culture. It wants a name with heart, and not some stupid knockoff like they had in some old movies._

"**So, they want you to choose their names?"**

_Yeah, lucky me._

* * *

Mana sat inside the Trident in Upper Earth Orbit. At this distance, her ability to fight would severely be hampered, and her energy reserves were below twenty percent.

_Little brother, can I ask you a question...seriously?_

"**Sure. What's the problem, big sister?"**

_Okay. I like Shinji, I'll admit that."_ She stayed silent, waiting for Trident to tease her.

Nothing came.

_But I'm unsure what—if any—competition I might have._

"**You mean Rei and Asuka?"**

_Yeah. I mean, Asuka is a bit iffy. She seems to only want his attention if she doesn't have it. Rei...sleeps in his bed._

"**But they aren't having sex, you heard them."**

_I know...but..._

"**Listen, if you like him, then go for it. The worst that can happen is he says no."**

_I know, but if the others are interested—_

"**Damn, I found it!"**

Mana snapped to alert status, looking over her instruments. "HQ, this is the Trident, we've located Fat Albert, and he's coming in hot! Sending all the data we can now!"

"**I'm altering our course. The damn thing's descent will clip us with a shock wave at our current vector."**

_Understood._

_Trident, you think they'll be okay?_

"**They better be. If they fail, we'll be the only ones left.**

"**If it comes to that, you can forget kids, missy."**

Mana would never admit it, but she was very thankful the AI always knew how to help her feel better.

* * *

Misato had already ordered the EVAs towards the MAGI predicted impact point, thanks to Mana's data. If they were right, they would be seeing it in three...two...one...

"The target has been sighted at maximum magnification," said Shigeru, as the burning image of the Angel appeared on the viewer.

"Distance is approximately 25,000," said Makoto.

"So," said Sanada, "we get to see how our bet turns out."

Rara nodded as the data showed Mana had made it through the shock wave of the Angel's atmospheric entry, and was moving outside of a possible blast radius. "Sanada, I hope these kids can do it."

"They will," said Misato. "I have faith in every one of them."

Maya nodded. "Ma'am, there isn't a single person here who doesn't."

* * *

Shinji was already running full speed, his four wings out, as he leapt over a hill, using his AT Field to push his glide to a faster pace.

_I can feel it!_ Shinji's thoughts were being bombarded by the sense of the Angel. It was more than it had been before. Now, he could almost grasp something...a connection...a name.

"Sahaquiel."

* * *

Kaoru heard Shinji say the word, and was the only one to put a response to it.

Kaoru knew that Shinji was special. He could feel the part of his shell that was of Adam feel...hatred...towards Shinji, much as he could sense from Rei.

But like her, he felt it lessening as he spent more time with the boy.

He didn't understand what was occurring. Despite that SEELE had called him a being of Free Will, he did believe in some destinies that could not be avoided.

And in truth, he had to wonder how much of that this new ingredient in the war would react.

_Oh yes, Shinji-kun, you are making my time well spent._

* * *

Shinji slid to a stop on a hillside, thrusting his hands into the air, and putting everything he had into his AT Field. "You won't defeat me, bastard!" Shinji screamed. The others wouldn't arrive for a few more seconds after initial strike. He would have to hold it until then. "AT Field; full spread!"

He would not fail.

The Angel slammed into his field, causing Shinji to sink slightly into the ground. The full mass and kinetic force shot into his body, as the sheer momentum of the Angel managed to partially overcome the phased space.

"A little help, here," he grunted out as he struggled to keep his position.

Soon, the other four Units arrived, spreading out their AT Fields and reinforcing Shinji's own.

In his mind, he could hear the EVAs as well. He could here them cheering on their pilots, even knowing that none of the others could hear them, even once they ascended.

"**I won't allow you to hurt my friend!"** Nao screamed.

"**For her!"** screamed Kyoko.

"**You're going down, Mack!" **screamed Unit 03.

"**Those such as you have no place in this world!" **screamed Unit 04.

Shinji felt tears leak from his eyes, the thoughts of the pilots and EVA, the crews of the Geo-front who had remained behind, were all with them...with him.

His conviction staying strong, he pushed harder, staying his course as Rei cut open a path to the core with her progressive knife, followed by Toji slamming his own knife into the core.

When the knife was left, Shinji slammed more energy his own AT Field to help fill the void, as the other EVAs began to take up their positions to form the bowl. When they did this, he would once again be under more strain from the now dying Angel, as it most likely devoted all the power it had remaining to make the blood more volatile as well as add volume.

Shinji stared upward into the broken eye of the Angel...smiling. "You lose... Sahaquiel."

And then all went white.

* * *

"Report," said Misato as the near blinding flash of the Angel's destruction slowly faded from the view screen.

"Waiting for the EMP pulse to subside," said Shigeru.

Makoto touched a few buttons, allowing five boxes to appear on the viewer, which were to list the stats of the EVAs as their signals returned.

Slowly, they returned. First was 02, 04, 00, 01...

Finally, 03 returned to the screen, causing everyone on the bridge to start cheering loudly.

Only Misato stayed quiet, staring at the monitor. _With those kids, we can't lose._

_Thank you...Shinji._

Tokyo-3 had endured.

* * *

The six pilots were standing inside the control room, back in the civilian clothes. Asuka had a large smile on her face, while the others had smaller smiles.

"Wireless communications have been restored," said Shigeru. "We are receiving a transmission from Commander Ikari in Antarctica."

_Damn, I never get what I want!_ Shinji's smile dropped a bit.

Misato took a deep breath. "Connect him here," she said.

"Yes, Ma'am," came the reply.

An image came up, stating that it was only audio.

"I am pleased to report that the Angel was destroyed sir," said Misato. "Tokyo-3 suffered only minor damage in the assault."

"Very well," he said. "We were lucky that the damages were so small, considering the opponent. Initiate normal repair procedures."

"Excellent work, Major Katsuragi," came the voice of the Sub Commander.

"Thank you, sir," said Misato.

"Major, is the pilot of Unit 01 there?" asked Gendo.

Shinji blinked. _What does his ass want? _"Yeah?"

"I received the report. Good work...son."

Shinji blinked. In all his time since his Father had abandoned him, the man had never referred to him as anything other than Pilot Ikari or Third Child. _What are you up to, old man? _"Thank...you."

He wasn't completely rude, but part of him; a part he had long since thought dead, wanted his Father's approval.

That part would get killed once again later that night.

"Now," came Gendo's voice again, "I'll leave the handling of the rest of this in your hands, Major Katsuragi."

"Yes, sir," she said, as the connection died.

Toji turned to his friend. "You think a pod-person found him?"

Shinji shrugged, his eyes still a little dazed. "Most likely."

* * *

Shinji was with the others inside a light rail car as they headed to feast.

But, his attention was on a little girl, playing with her brother.

_They still have a home to go back to, a life to lead, and dreams to dream._

_This is what makes the pain worth it: just to keep faces like that smiling._

"Now, you're going to have to fulfill your promise," said Asuka.

"Damn straight, Misato-san," said Toji. "Mmm, steak."

"Of course," said Misato. "I didn't forget. I even brought the NERV card. Feel free to eat as much as you want, you deserve it."

* * *

The bridge crew, the scientists, and the pilots all sat together at the tables, enjoying the well deserved meal.

As the six pilots sat together, they began to discuss things.

"So," said Kaoru, "we have done well against them. I say this speaks well for our team."

"Very true," said Rei, as she began to eat her tofu steak. She had to admit that it was well prepared, and wondered if they had enough in the budget to request that Shinji make some as well during the month.

Toji kept quiet, as he ate his steaks.

Kensuke smiled and sweated, staying quiet lest Asuka kill him.

Asuka fumed as she ate, wondering how Shinji had managed to call the stooge without her knowing?

Rei sneezed, and resumed her meal. After all, you should never welch on a bet.

Mana looked over at Shinji, who was eating with a glazed look. "Are you okay, Shinji-kun?" She was still a little worried about him, but it wouldn't be right to talk to him about her feelings now. That could wait until later.

He nodded. "Just some things on my mind."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Weird dreams, and a name."

The others looked at him. "A name?" said Kaoru.

He nodded. "Sahaquiel."

"Angel of Sky," said Kaoru. "Where did you get that name from?"

Shinji shrugged. "It came to me."

"Sounds appropriate for that thing," said Toji.

He nodded. "Not any weirder than dreams I have about a black moon and a white moon."

Rei and Kaoru placed their utensils on the table.

Rei began first. "Shinji-kun, can you explain these dreams?"

And thus, his tale began.

* * *

Omake by Innortal:

Sub Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki wanted to kill himself now, as his pride was broken before him on the screen as the EVAs battled the Angel.

"Bring them together, guys," said Shinji.

Soon, the five EVAs remolded. "EVA Megazord!" they screamed, as the monolith stood tall.

_How could this get worse!_

His pleas to the heavens were answered, as Trident flew in with the three other JAs, and followed suit. Soon, Mana was on the screen, wearing the same weird helmet as the others. "Jet Alone Megazord, online!"

The battle continued, but despite their combined powers, the Angel was still beginning to overwhelm them.

"WARK!"

He looked up paling, as he saw a gigantic robot penguin waddle onto the battlefield.

"It's the Penguin Ranger," said Asuka in an excited voice.

"Wark, wark wark!"

"He's right," said Rei. "We need to form the Instrumentality Ultrazord."

No one heard the gun go off in Kozo's hands as he ended his hell inside a sentai universe.

* * *

Omake by Shinjithegoodsharer:

"I'm sorry, but I've been busy, Mother."

Misato looked towards her remaining roommate; Rei and Asuka currently at NERV for some more tests to ensure their ascension wasn't causing any unknown effects.

Shinji had only been excused because he was currently being scanned constantly while he was inside the newly arrived EVAs, trying to get them to generate S2 organs.

As such, he had come home, showered, and was communicating with his guardians.

"No, Mother, I'm not ditching you to be on my own."

So, she decided to tease him. Speaking loudly enough to ensure she was heard, she spoke up. "Come back to bed, Shinji-kun. You promised we would be enjoying ourselves all day."

She was rewarded with his face paling and the voice output on the phone seeming to triple to the point where she would swear she could almost understand the woman on the other end.

"NO! Mom, it ain't like that!"

"Shinji, come on, we still have to be careful about the baby, so no rough stuff!"

Shinji glared at her as the phone literally began to jump around in his hand.

Smirking, he put the phone closer to his face. "Mi-chan! I'm on the phone with my mother get your hand out of my boxers! MOM HELP! I'M BEING MOLESTED BY MY GUARDIAN!"

Misato's face went a pasty white as the screaming got loud enough to the point she could hear the words Shinji's mother spoke. "MY SON'S SO MANLY!"

Misato stared in shock for a moment before speaking. "...Auntie?"

* * *

Omake by Chewy

During the Briefing:  
Misato: You three will be the ones to CATCH the Angel if Kirishima's blasts don't take it out.  
Asuka: With what our Bare hands?  
Misato: Yes.  
Touji: Three Evas versus a Star Destroyer... I mean, Angel?

During the Battle:

Mana looked up, her Trident's lasers striking the angels dead on, her smile of success turned sour as she saw the AT field deflect or absorb the high-powered shots from her main weapon. She called in over the comlink, "That AT-field's too strong for blasters. Shinji, Asuka, Rei, use your harpoons and tow cables...I mean, AT-Fields and catch him."

Ritsuko rested her head in her hand. "I knew we shouldn't have had that Star Wars Marathon……"


	12. Enemy Within V2

**Chapter 12**

**Enemy Within**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

**Author's note:** Sorry about not spelling the Angel's name right. I blame lousy reading skills on my part and that was how it read from the website. Thanks Marine Brother Shran for the complete list. I think I have corrected those mistakes.

* * *

Rei and Kaoru were walking back from sync tests. Toji had remained behind, as today was also a day for his sister's lessons in flying.

Though if asked, he was really there to see how many times Asuka would plummet into the NERV lake.

Mana had remained as well, taking notes for when she hopefully ascended.

That left the First and Fifth Child to walk alone.

Kaoru spotted her out of the corner of his eye. He knew what she was; SEELE had informed him so. She was a nephilim, much as he. But where he was based from samples of Adam, she was based from samples of Lilith.

Like him, the human genetics that had made them look...human...were samples of dozens, if not hundreds, of humans. The fact that the genes governing her appearance were those from Yui Ikari did not make her a relation to Shinji, or a clone of Yui Ikari. The fact that Commander Ikari had gotten the resemblance to his dead wife as dominant traits spoke well of either his techniques or his sheer luck.

"So," said Kaoru after he noticed that Section 2 was no longer tailing them, "what do you think of Shinji-kun's dream?"

They had not spoken of it since that night, but he knew it was the foremost thought on their minds. In all likelihood, SEELE would want him to report it, but Kaoru thought little of the chances of the old men taking the story to heart; dismissing it outright.

"It was...interesting," said Rei. "Why do you bring it up now?" she asked.

Kaoru kept staring forward, the ever-existent smile still on his face. "It does explain so much, does it not, of why the Angels take such extreme measures to penetrate or destroy NERV?"

He stopped as soon as he noticed Rei doing so. He turned, seeing her eyes staring at him with what was almost rage...and curiosity. "And what do you know of such things?"

Kaoru smiled still. "Why, I am as knowledgeable of such things as you...sister."

"We are **not** related."

"I disagree," said Kaoru, the smile disappearing. "We can assume that that which created the White Moon also created the Black Moon; why else would the red light...the Lance...be effective against us both?"

Rei continued to stare. "I am not as foolish as you may think. Shinji-kun's story opened my eyes to who you are as well, Son of Adam." She stepped closer. "If you seek to harm Shinji-kun—"

"I have no such plans...for the moment. But unlike the others, I have yet to hear the call that begs us to come to this place," he said, motioning all around them. "And in any event, I care too much for Shinji-kun to not face him in anything but honorable combat.

"Besides, for all I know, I am to be the one light of the fifteen that sided with his Moon, just as I guess you are already the light from Lilith; the blue, that has sided with him against the All Mother."

Rei's expression didn't change. "I will protect Shinji-kun. I have made that vow, and will do so with my life."

"As do I," said Kaoru. "Until I hear the Call, I shall be there for him. After I hear the Call... What that will mean, I cannot say."

"Such ironic words from you...Tabris."

"I know, a being of Free Will and still unable to decide my destiny... Such odd lives these lilim lead." He turned serious once again. "But you have still not answered my question."

"You have not asked on that I did not answer."

"Well then, let me ask again more formally.

"Do you think Shinji Ikari is a new Seed; a new Moon, that will issue in a new form of order for life and humanity?"

Rei slipped into deep thought, weighing what she knew of dogma, what her memories she had from Lilith told her. "Shinji Ikari's status as a new Moon is irrelevant. All that matters is that he will fight for humanity; including facing the designated First and Second Angels if need be."

"Do you think he could win?"

Rei started walking past him. "I do not know."

Kaoru nodded and caught up with her, walking beside the very type of creature his All Father deemed putrid. He had no clue why those that created the two Moons set them to hate each other, assuming it was some logical conclusion that he was missing data to understand correctly.

Of course, his mind would not drop the issue: what would he do when it was his time to challenge Shinji?

* * *

Shinji and Mana were walking along the streets, enjoying a day off.

Mana was glued to his arm, enjoying the fact that not only was he saying yes to dates, but had no problems with how she was.

After all, one didn't pilot a techno-organic creation without picking up a few quirks from it, did they?

* * *

The spare clones of both Rei and Kaoru sneezed, but no one was certain why.

* * *

What was really puzzling her was the dream Shinji had told them last week at the steak dinner. The way he described it, she almost felt like she was there beside him, witnessing the dream as well. Even Trident had said the visual imagery his words created made it likely the dream was something more.

That was one of the good things about having someone who could literally link with your mind: no need for fumbling with words to express yourself.

"Shinji-kun?" she asked.

"Hmm," he said, turning his attention from the path ahead of them to her.

"Shinji-kun, are you okay with the dream?" It was all she could ask. Normally, she was a straight-forward person; always knowing what she wanted and having no qualms about pursuing it.

But the dream...their enemy...was there more she was unaware of?

Shinji sighed. "I wish I could tell you, Mana. But ever since I had it...I've been feeling...more, like things are falling into focus.

"It...It's beginning to scare me a bit."

She nodded, hugging him a bit closer to her. "I'll be there for you always, Shinji-kun." She decided she needed to lighten the situation. "Just promise I can be your Queen when you start taking over the Universe."

Shinji chuckled, telling her that she had accomplished her task of getting him past the gloom that the dream could represent.

"Well, okay. But I should warn you, Naru expects that as well."

Mana pretended to look up. "King of the Universe and already can't stay faithful to his Queen. Oh, what did I do to deserve such a tomcat?"

"I think it was when you came over to use my shower," he said.

A few days ago, Mana had moved herself into the same building as Shinji; three apartments down the hall, signifying a continuing trend of NERV personnel moving into the apartment complex.

Ritsuko had signed the lease...sadly now next door to them.

Kaoru had taken the next one a day after Misato's promotion party.

And if she heard correctly, Naru was trying to convince Toji and her Father to move in as well.

To be honest, Mana thought the little girl was a child after her own heart.

"They were replacing the fixtures in mine. Nothing wrong with that."

"I was still using it at the time."

Mana continued to smile like a cat that had eaten the canary. "I relax better with a nice view. Nothing wrong with that."

Shinji went back to sighing. He sure as hell wasn't going to point out how little time he got to take a relaxing bath while living with two teenage girls and one embarrassingly immature adult.

Nor was he going to tell her that Rei wanted to do the same as Mana had done, or that every time Asuka saw him, she'd blush, mutter that he was a pervert, and dash out of the room since, and the less said about Misato's responses, the better.

They started walking again, beginning to once again enjoy the date. Shinji just had to be careful with his money, Rei wanted a date too.

"Well, you can't blame a girl for peeking."

"I can when she suggests we play Marco Polo in a bathtub."

And thus things continued.

* * *

Sanada and Rara were busy at their stations in their office, much to the dismay to both scientists that they were stuck...together.

"Hmm," said Sanada, "it looks like we're all set to test out the shield grid before the MAGI maintenance checkup."

Rara leaned back in his seat as well. "Yes, those construction robots of yours were truly marvelous workers...once you ensure they don't run amok."

"Hey, we were sabotaged."

"Tell that to little Haruhiko."

"It was the boy's own fault for letting his dog loose near the test site. How was I supposed to know I'd need to program JA to avoid dogs?"

"A likely story," said Rara, once again looking at his monitor. "We'll need to increase stress resistance to all the emitters."

"And why?" asked Sanada, seeing that his friend/rival/co-founder of the "Ayuko's Ex-Husbands' Club" had a look signifying he had a rare moment of genius.

Rara sat back. "Whoever sabotaged us knew enough about JA designs to get around the safety sub-commands so we couldn't remote activate it when that damn spider came into town. Add that to someone who knew enough about Construction Robot technology to reprogram it with a viable battle AI interface, and what's to say that they aren't already planning a new assault...or with toys they never deemed fit to give us?"

Sanada saw where this was going...and he didn't like it. "They might even have their own JAs for an assault if need be."

"Or worse," said Rara. "I fear we may just have been a lowly testing ground for old tech, and useful enough to prove what processes worked. These people might already be entrenched here for sabotage, or even making plans against what they know we have."

Sanada nodded. "I have a meeting with Dr. Akagi and Major Katsuragi in an hour. I'll inform them of our suspicions."

Rara nodded. He had been planning on bringing his daughter to this city.

Considering what type of people would do the things he had mentioned, he decided that she would be moving...today.

* * *

Ritsuko stared in awe as the tarp was removed off the item the Commander had brought back from Antarctica. Remembering Shinji's dream as he had told the other pilots and then her when she asked, she could only stare, as memories of what it had been thought capable of entered her mind. "A lance of red light..."

"Excuse me," said Kozo, wondering what Ritsuko had mentioned.

Said woman turned to face them. "This little beauty just reminded me of Shinji's dream. He spoke of a lance of red light, which pierced the soul of the White Moon, keeping it quiet until it was removed."

Gendo nodded. "Go on."

"Basically, part of his dream seemed to fit what an outside observer would see of Adam's awakening and subsequent forced silencing."

Commander Ikari's lips grew into a small smile. "Tell me more of this...dream."

* * *

Commander Ikari looked at the report Dr. Akagi had made of the dream Shinji had spoke of.

In his mind, he could easily see it as a rendition of the occurrences of the Katsuragi Expedition.

But to what ends could he use this, were unknown at the moment.

His son's dream had fit with what SEELE had labeled First Impact, though some wanted that title to go to the asteroid impact that had ended the reign of dinosaurs.

"So, Lilith fell to our world, and then Adam's world fell into our own, creating a White Moon."

Kozo nodded from across the desk, looking at his own copy of the report. "He makes it sound like the first two Angels are little more than advanced computers."

"All humanity is a computer, just more towards the biologic machinery than silicon and such," he said. "Though it would mean that humanity has no one to blame for all the troubles that befell us other than ourselves."

"A hell of our own making."

Gendo nodded. "It would appear as if the old men have started a self-fulfilling prophecy."

"So, what do we do now," said Kozo. For over a decade, they had been working towards Instrumentality. If that was not their goal, then what.

Gendo took off his glasses, looking towards the man that had been a guide of sorts since college...since Yui. "We trust Shinji."

"You're entrusting the world to a boy?" he asked. Even if Shinji was Yui's son, he doubted the boy would be able to pull this off.

"His dream shows him as a developing Moon, one who's light is growing brighter, that even an Angel will side with. The tests have already shown that whatever Second Impact has done towards the potential of human procreation does not effect the ascended, and even Rei is now capable of birth."

"He changes a person into having both the Fruit of Knowledge as well as the Fruit of Life."

Gendo nodded. "As I see it, Adam and Lilith were two divergent lines of evolution; two seeds sent to create life. For what purpose two were sent, I dare not speculate, but it was obvious that the Lance was created to stop them from occupying the same world together. If we restart the world with her..."

"Then it may take another four billion years for humanity to return."

Gendo nodded. "With Shinji, humanity stays without Instrumentality."

"And Yui?" Kozo asked.

Gendo sank into his seat. "Unknown. We know the boy has an ability to sync with an EVA in such a way that he can communicate with the soul inside it. We know he's communicating either with Yui or something that may believe itself to be or be acting like Yui."

"You believe Shinji might be able to extract their souls and give them form?"

Gendo smiled, remembering the lines of the dream; where Shinji said his light continued to grow while that of the two Moons dimmed. "If not now, he will soon."

"Then...should we tell him?" Kozo was not comfortable with that idea. Telling Shinji the truth—considering how strong the boy was—was almost sure to illicit a death sentence.

He wondered if he could find someone willing to take that shot for the team.

Gendo nodded, placing his glasses back on. "When I have constructed a proposal, I will tell him.

"After all, once he hears the purpose, he will support it."

"And if he kills you?"

"Then I shall await Yui on the other side, because he will not allow her to stay bonded to Unit 01 forever."

Already, the duo began to formulate a new scenario.

* * *

Things were not going well after the meeting; as Gendo and Ritsuko stood in the elevator, going down to check on the new data compilations for the Dummy Plug System.

"It would seem that SEELE may already have us at a disadvantage."

Ritsuko nodded. "Our current saving grace would be the fact they have not shipped anymore Evangelions to us for S2 organ generation. Since they haven't, we can assume they are still using the data collected from the Fourth Angel to try and generate them on their own."

Gendo nodded in agreement. "They were most likely not scheduled for completion until after the Angels all fell."

"At this rate, we may have almost seven months then."

"Perhaps less, I fear they may order the release of the Dummy Plug data to assist their own."

Ritsuko turned to him. "Wouldn't they be receiving that from the Fifth Child?" Like him, she had already put together the true purpose of the Fifth Child.

After all, how many kids are there like Rei...with a full soul?

"They will certainly wish for all the data they can have...if they plan to use the Dummy Plug System to pilot the other EVAs we seem unable to get."

"At least funding isn't an issue," she said. While she may hate the fact that her work now amounted to little more than a real sentai series, she couldn't fault the funds they were now receiving. No longer did they have to go begging for money that should have been appropriated to them in the first place.

He nodded. "In any case, I want all incoming shipments inspected thoroughly. They may try to sabotage parts, especially in the matters concerning the MAGI maintenance and upgrade procedures."

She nodded. "I already have Misato and a few other trustworthy individuals going over the personnel files, to ensure we don't have any more incidents like we did with the power systems."

Gendo nodded. Already, the links the JAs had given him into the JSSDF were proving useful, as they considered the saboteurs as terrorists, since they did damage government property.

As such, even the UN would not be quelled in the hunt for the people that Section 2 had determined to be the persons responsible.

They even found out how they had left, an open door leading from the surface into the NERV systems had been proof.

"Inquire with my son as to who trained him. I want them here if possible training Section 2 agents, as well as base security and the pilots."

"You expect another attack?"

Gendo stared ahead as the door opened. "Of course, it's what I would do."

* * *

It had been only two days since the shield test. Several emitters were being fine-tuned, as well as new power couplers installed to help regulate frequency attunement. In the end, they were going to get the defensive screen to even hold off a sustained AT Field assault.

It didn't take long for those close to the top echelon to discover why such a possibility was needed. All you needed to hear were the reports saying that Unit 05 and above were not being sent to NERV due to...errors.

* * *

"How's circuit A-5 through G-4?" asked Sanada. Currently, he and Rara were helping the diagnostic teams while installing the upgrades to the Casper MAGI.

The purpose of these upgrades were split between preventing another sabotage like what had crippled them when Matriel; the Ninth Angel, had attacked. The other purpose was to allow for greater independence between the NERV systems and the JA systems. In effect, the two systems would have enough independence not to be taken down by the other, while maintaining the link for teamwork

"Checking out fine," said Rara as he observed the system tests on a laptop. "Better check connection DF-39. We're getting degradation in signal return."

Nodding, Sanada began checking the connections on the I/O ports, finding the weak link, and securing it.

"That's got it," said Rara.

They were also trying to correct another problem. Despite its advanced nature, the MAGI were responding too slowly to the information being sent via their link with the JA series. As such, the data was backlogging, slowing the systems down on both sides.

So, while they hadn't yet tested to see if the MAGI processors could handle the load, they were trying to increase the speed at which it could receive and return information.

Rara wiped the sweat from his brow. "Man, who new techs had it so rough?"

Sanada laughed. "Come on, Rara; can't tell me you never got into the trenches while building Trident."

"What, and risk disfiguring my rugged manly looks?" said the bald man as he took his "dashing prince" stance."

"Right," said Sanada, sarcasm evident in his voice. "Anyway, this is the last one; the other teams are finished. Now, we shouldn't have to worry about either the MAGI or the JA mainframe causing the other to be defenseless."

"Hey, Sanada," said Rara, "why exactly aren't we using the JA tech to update the MAGI processors?"

"Well, that's due to how those processors are made..."

* * *

Maya and Ritsuko were working on the MAGI programming to further update it as well as enable it to access the new buffers for the JA interface.

So far, things had been going well...minus the occasional scream as a tech learned which wires carried current. Hearing another, Ritsuko made another tick on her scrap piece of paper, happily noting that she was well on her way to winning that gambling pool once again.

After all, she had met these people, so she knew which ones were stupid enough to forget.

As the chatter over the speakers continued for the other teams working on the MAGI maintenance, she looked over towards Maya, smiling as the bridge bunny typed away furiously on the terminal. "You're getting pretty fast, Maya. But then, that's what makes you...you."

"Thanks, Sempai," said Maya, not looking away from the screen as she continued to type. "It's all thanks to you; you trained me."

Smiling, her eyes caught something. "Wait a second; A-8 would be faster there. Let me do it." With that said, Ritsuko reached over to her terminal, and with one hand, fixed it faster than Maya had been typing.

Maya just stared in amazement. "Well, she was my teacher...still is."

Finishing up, she went back to writing in a journal to document all the changes they were making, when her friend entered through the lift.

Misato was smiling. "Hey, how's it going?" she asked. "Finished with the work on the MAGI yet?"

"Almost done," said Ritsuko, not even looking up from her journal. "As promised, it'll be finished before today's experiment begins."

"You sure are something else," said Misato, walking up to the Doctor's desk and grabbing her coffee, deciding to perk herself up a bit. "You've got four nearly impossible tasks to deal with, and you still manage to beat the schedule."

Ritsuko was tempted not to tell her, but knowing that Misato's first reaction would most likely be to spit it up and over their documentations, she decided to help her friend and save herself some trouble. "That coffee's cold, Misato."

The girl immediately puckered her face in disgust. Cold beer was great, cold coffee absolutely sucked in her opinion.

* * *

As the MAGI entered self-diagnostic mode to ensure the new upgrades were still working and all systems had been restored from their examinations, a speaker announced that the routine maintenance had also been completed as well.

Ritsuko smiled as she checked the ticks, finding out that once again, she had won the betting pool. "Well done, guys. Take a break before the tests begin."

* * *

Ritsuko was washing her face, the stress of the work beginning to fade as only one job was left: the tests with the first three children.

_Everything checked out. As usual, Mother is fine, but...is it just me getting older?_

Seeing what systems were slowly beginning to become outdated when compared to JA supercomputer technology, she was beginning to question one fact: how long would she truly be useful here?

* * *

"What? You want me to take off my clothes again?" asked Asuka.

Currently, the tests were only being done for the First, Second, and Third Children, as that was all the room they had for. Toji and Kaoru were scheduled to be tested tomorrow.

Though, one did have to admit as to the reason for having a male—Shinji—test with the two females of the team, considering it would be less embarrassing for them to be exposed like this.

But then again, no one ever said that Ritsuko didn't have a sense of humor, and Asuka had been a bit bitchy lately. Besides, all three were ascended pilots, so they were to be tested together.

"One would think you are used to both hearing and saying that phrase by now," said Rei in her normal subdued tone.

Asuka growled, but Ritsuko's reply cut her off.

"_The next chamber is an ultra-clean room environment. Just taking a shower and changing your undergarments is insufficient."_

"Why do I have to go through this all for just a simple auto-pilot test?" she asked.

Shinji himself didn't mind the procedures.

What he did mind was the idea of an auto-pilot. While a pilot was in control, the bond formed between pilot and EVA was intricate and deep; not things that a simple program could ever duplicate. He could never trust an autopilot to handle Reika like he did. They were a team, and he'd make certain it stayed that way.

Of course, the logic they used also made sense. What would happen if they couldn't get to the EVAs before the Angels struck, or the EVAs needed to handle something that would be suicide for the pilots...even ascended people like them?

Also, they needed the data to run better simulations for new tactics and scenarios for battles.

So, he played along. Besides, he needed to explore HQ a bit more, and these rooms were something he'd never been in before.

Anything to find out what was nullifying his senses.

Even now, the shielding for this area was shutting off the now constant connection he had formed between him and the EVAs. Unit 04 had been talking to him a lot more lately, after receiving the choices of names between of Achewon: Spiritual One, as it seemed to fit what Shinji had seen of the EVA's personality, and Hoshoni: a Pueblo word that if Shinji was correct, meant all was in order and the world was beautiful.

Unit 03 was still torn between Mickey—the EVA had a penchant for wanting to act like a tough gangster it had seen in Toji's memories of old early movies, or taking the name of an Angel of Death: Azreal.

Truthfully, Shinji was just hoping they'd pick a damn name before he left the test chamber. He really was tired of them waking him up at night to discuss it.

Ritsuko's sigh could be heard over the intercom. _"With the advance of time, EVA technology needs to advance as well. To do so, we need a constant influx of new data."_

"What?" came Asuka's surprised cry, as the doors opened.

Shinji felt himself cleaner than he had ever been before, and could almost swear that his wings were even shining from the extra attention.

Now, he felt his danger senses going off the scale, and of course, he knew why.

They were naked...all three of them.

He had seen Rei naked plenty of times...despite fevered protests. It wasn't that he found her ugly. It was that she just tended to do it at odd times as if she didn't know it was wrong.

Of course, Mana offering suggestions didn't help matters.

But now...Asuka was naked...and near him.

For some damn reason, he kept hearing the theme of Mortal Kombat playing in his head.

"All right, I'm here, just the way you wanted: butt-naked and run through the wash cycle seventeen times."

Shinji motioned for Rei to be quiet. He knew she would retort to that. The albino pilot had lately seemed to get great...joy...from teasing the redheaded pilot.

He just wanted her as calm as possible, in case he needed to make a break for it.

"_Now, I want all three of you to stay that way as you walk through the room and board the entry plugs."_

Shinji gulped.

Rei remained quiet.

Asuka did not. "WHAAAAAT?"

"_Don't worry; the video recorders have been shut off. We do respect your privacy."_

"That isn't the point!" Asuka argued. "This is a very personal thing!"

"_The purpose of this experiment is to remove the interference from your plugsuits and monitor the harmonics directly from your bodies."_

"_Asuka,"_ came Misato's voice, _"that's an order."_

"Alright," she relented. "But I don't want anyone peeking, got it?"

Shinji head a beep and saw that the camera now sported a red light. _Man, I hope that means it's off._

* * *

"All pilots are ready for entry."

The colored forms of the three pilots were on the screen, glowing as if they were radioactive.

"Start the tests," said Ritsuko, as she stared at the half-formed EVA units inside the testing chamber. In a way, she was a little afraid that Shinji and the girls might actually start changing these EVAs as well.

But considering what the Commander had informed her of, that might be a good possibility as well.

"Beginning the tests," said one of the techs assisting them. "Now initiating autopilot recording."

"Inserting simulation plugs."

"Connecting the simulation bodies to the systems," came Maya's voice after the plugs had been inserted. "The simulation plugs are now under the MAGI's control."

Misato just whistled as the holographic screens began pouring out the data they were collecting. "Wow, that's really fast. The MAGI sure are impressive. It's hard to believe that the first experiments took a whole week."

"According to the schedule, the test will end in three hours," said a male tech.

"How do you feel?" asked Ritsuko, truly wondering what the simulation bodies would do when exposed to the Angelic pilots.

"It feels odd," said Rei, staring forward, her attitude gone for the moment due to the seriousness of the test.

"Yeah, it's different from the other times," said Shinji. "It feels...lonely...empty."

Asuka was staring at her hand. "Something's wrong with my senses. My right arm is the only thing I can feel clearly. Everything else is...fuzzy."

Ritsuko nodded. "Rei, imagine moving your right hand."

"Yes, ma'am," said Rei, as she grabbed the control yokes, causing the hand of the simulation body to move.

"Data collection is proceeding nicely," said the male tech.

"Everything seems good so far," said Ritsuko. "Any anomalies being generated by their essence?"

Maya shook her head. "No changes in the simulation bodies, ma'am. It doesn't look like they'll evolve them."

Ritsuko nodded. "Change the MAGI back to their normal state."

The data screens changed, as the MAGI began a deliberation.

Ritsuko smirked. "You can sure feel their creator's personality, can't you?"

Misato turned to face her friend. "What are you talking about, Ritsu? I thought you made them?"

"You don't know anything, do you?" said Ritsuko, smiling.

"That's because you never talk about yourself like I do, Ritsuko."

Ritsuko turned back out to the testing chamber. "That's true, I just created the system uplinks. The person who developed the basic theorems and the mainframe was my Mother."

* * *

Shinji heard this while the tests were still going on. _So, I guess I know one of your demons, Ritsuko._

Despite his best efforts, like Misato, he had hardly learned anything about the blond that wasn't job related. Hell, he wouldn't have known that she had a cat had he not sensed the thing behind her apartment door when he returned home a few days after she moved in.

Suddenly, he felt...something. It was dull, and barely around...but it was there.

Once again, he was cursing the null field he felt inside the Geo-front. He couldn't tell if it was friend or foe.

Sadly, his guess was correct. It was almost always foe.

* * *

"Are you double-checking this?" asked Kozo.

"Yes, I am," said Shigeru. "These are the parts that were brought in three days ago. Now, they're showing signs of deterioration."

"The eighty-seventh protein wall," said Kozo. _I guess a defective part got through._

_At least we caught it now and not during a battle._

Shigeru tapped some buttons, changing the screen. "With some magnification, you can see some spots. Can you tell me what that is?"

"It's got to be corrosion," said Makoto. There are slight variations in the temperature and conduction rates at those spots. Deterioration of sterilized rooms are happening a lot...an awful lot...as of late."

Shigeru nodded. "The construction schedule was cut short about sixty days. It's possible that some air bubbles may have gotten inside." He turned towards the Sub Commander. "There are a lot of flaws in the construction of B-wing."

"This building was constructed after the Angels appeared, remember?"

"You can't really put the blame on anyone," said Makoto. "Everyone was so exhausted back then."

Kozo nodded. "Take care of it by tomorrow. We can't afford these sorts of things in case of an attack. If not, then Ikari will be jumping over our asses for this."

"Understood," said Makoto.

Shigeru continued to stare at the display. _Corrosion couldn't have done this that quickly._

* * *

Ritsuko turned around. "Another water leak?"

Maya shook her head. "No, it's some sort of corrosion in the protein wall above this floor."

"Wonderful," said Ritsuko. "Could it have any effect on the test?"

"No," said Maya, "not at the moment."

Ritsuko nodded. "Then let's continue. We can't abort complex experiments due to minor technical difficulties.

"Otherwise, Commander Ikari will be jumping all over our asses for it."

"Dr. Akagi?" said Shinji.

"Yes?"

"Something's wrong...very wrong."

Misato stood straight. "Do you sense an Angel, Shinji?"

"I can't sense much in the Geo-front," said Shinji.

"So, the perfect third Child has a weakness?" teased Asuka.

"This is serious, pervert," spat Shinji. "I don't know what it is, but something is going very wrong."

Ritsuko began to actually consider aborting the procedure. When Shinji told you something was wrong, she learned a long time ago to believe him.

Sadly, events decided for her to end things...in a bad way.

"What's happening?" Ritsuko yelled out.

"We've got a contamination alert in the Sigma Unit on A Floor," came the voice over the loud speaker.

"The eighty-seventh protein wall is corroding and releasing heat!"

"We've detected an abnormality in the sixth pipe as well!"

"Corrosion of the protein wall is increasing at an incredible rate!" yelled out Maya.

"Abort the experiment!" cried out Misato.

"Shut off the sixth pipe!" yelled out Ritsuko.

Maya did as ordered, and the pipe was separated from the main lines.

"No effect," said Maya. "The corrosion is spreading along the walls."

"Prepare the polysomes."

Several little subs were released into the testing bay, each one equipped to clean and sterilize the room with excessive force. They moved themselves over to the area where the corrosion was coming from.

"Set the lasers for maximum and eliminate the invasive particles," she ordered Maya.

"AHHH!"

"Rei!" shouted Ritsuko, as the simulation body struck the wall.

"Rei's simulation body is moving!" said Maya.

"ANGEL!" shouted Shinji as he felt his own false body beginning to be infected, the being now close enough for him to feel.

Soon, the arm of Rei's simulation body began reaching for the control room, causing Ritsuko to smash the emergency ejecting system for that limb, sending it smashing into the window.

"How's Rei?" asked the panicked Misato.

"She's fine," said Maya.

"Eject all plugs immediately!" screamed Ritsuko. She turned towards the other techs. "Hurry the hell up with those lasers!"

Two plugs ejected out of the simulation bodies, entering the emergency hatches.

Shinji's didn't.

"Emergency ejection systems have failed on Simulation Body 01!"

"WHAT?" screamed Ritsuko.

The lasers shot forth from the polysomes, striking the corrosion, before they were reflected away.

"An AT Filed!" gasped out Misato.

"Impossible," said Ritsuko, as she stood near several techs still trying to eject Shinji's plug. "How can something that small erect an AT Field!"

Soon, the infected areas began to glow red, emitting light.

In the simulation body 01, large portions of it began glowing as well.

"Get me video of Shinji, NOW!" screamed Misato, as one screen switched to an inside view of the entry plug.

Shinji was also beginning to glow red in several areas, his breath in staggered pants, his eyes wide, and his four wings out. Occasionally twitching, it didn't take a genius to see he was in pain.

Soon, a golden glow enveloped his body, seeming to lash out at the red blotches that were infecting him, as his body and own AT Field began to fight against the invading Angel.

"Pattern is confirmed as blue," said Ritsuko. "It's an Angel!"

"We knew that!" yelled out Misato. "Shinji told us already! We've got to get Shinji out of there!" screamed Misato, looking at her friend with hysterical and pleading eyes.

Ritsuko wanted to tell her that they could, that they could save him.

But he was already infected, so she began to set the system to blow the remaining emergency systems.

As much as it pained her to leave him—he was a great friend, and a light of hope in the dreary world they all seemed to exist in now—she knew he wouldn't want others to be put at risk to save him, and that is exactly what would happen if he got out, the Angel already infecting him.

Misato informed the bridge, hearing the orders to isolate Central Dogma. "Abandon unit. Evacuate immediately!' she cried out.

The techs began running, even as the glass behind them began to crack more, threatening to flood the entire room.

Ritsuko just stared into the water, at the corrupted form of Shinji's simulation body. _Forgive me!_

"What the hell are you doing?" screamed out Misato, grabbing her friend. "Hurry!"

They barely made it out in time before the windows gave way, and they were left with only their hatred, for what was taking Shinji from them.

* * *

Gendo put down the phone. "Cancel the alert."

Shigeru's eyes snapped open. "C...canceling the alert, sir."

Gendo continued. "This is a malfunction, an error in the alarm system. Report that to both the Japanese Government and the Committee."

Kozo looked over at Rara and Sanada, who both nodded.

Sanada scratched the back of his head. "We follow. Besides, if this got out, the bureaucrats would keep us so occupied with red tape, the next attack would wipe us out."

"As well as cause them to yank all our funding until they "decide" what to change," said Rara.

Kozo nodded, beginning to like the JSSDF attachment more and more. Like them, they knew how to play the system, and what **not** to report.

"The contamination area is still descending," said Makoto. "It's spreading all over Sigma Unit from the Pribnow Box!"

Kozo by this time had stepped closer to Gendo. "That's a critical area."

"Yes," said Gendo. "That is too close to Adam." He spoke louder. "Stop the corruption within Sigma Unit. If necessary, sacrifice the Geo-front. What is the status of the EVAs?"

"They're ready for launch," said Makoto. "Pilots Nagisa and Suzuhara are already inside, and ready. We can launch the others when the pilots are recovered."

"There's no need to wait for the other pilots, launch them immediately."

As much as Gendo wanted to tell them to save Unit 01 first, he couldn't. Shinji was his only connection to that soul inside it until he ascended, and if anything, he didn't want Yui madder at him than she might already be, considering how things had progressed to that point.

"Sir?" asked Makoto.

"But sir," said Shigeru, "we can't destroy the Angel without the EVAs!"

Gendo shook his head. "If the EVAs are contaminated first, we're finished. Hurry!"

Gendo merely turned to face Sanada. "I would suggest initiating a full separation of the JA from the MAGI should we fail. We do not need them corrupted."

Sanada nodded. "Come on, Rara, we need to cut the phone lines."

* * *

Soon, all of Central Dogma below the contamination zone of Sigma Unit was shut down.

Then it was sealed; no one or thing in or out.

Well, that would be true in a perfect world.

With an Angel, the world was far from perfect...or predictable.

"Well now," said Kozo, "we have to mount an offensive against an Angel without the EVAs...or Shinji."

"And the other ascended pilots have yet to be trained enough in their abilities to be of any use at this point." Gendo sighed. _Not that they could, considering the Angel immediately isolated the strongest and removed him from interfering._

* * *

Shinji screamed as he leapt into the air again as the shadows lanced at him, trying to impale him.

"SPIRIT CUT!" he screamed once again, lashing out with his own energy at the enemy.

He didn't know how it had did it, but he was literally inside his own mind, fighting the Angel. It was constantly trying to adapt itself to him, trying to find a weakness to exploit or a strength to nullify.

But Shinji was himself changing just as fast to counter the Angel's moves. Like the AT Fields during battle, he was too random for it to pin down.

So, the battle continued. Even if he had to spend the rest of his life as a vegetable, he would not lose this battle.

It may be a near-classic model, but that body was his, damn it!

And no one was going to take it...or his life...away from him.

* * *

Ritsuko sighed as their last attempt on the Angel failed. They had tried to kill it when they saw it had a problem with ozone.

So, they injected ozone into the ultra pure water the Angel was inhabiting.

It worked...for about ten seconds.

Now, the damn thing was feeding off the ozone.

"Amazing," she said as the scanners were continuing to observe the now larger mass of the Angel. "It is evolving."

That was when the next plan of the Angel went into effect, as the monitors in the testing chamber died and the alarm sounded again.

"What's wrong?" screamed Misato.

"Something is hacking into the sub-computer," said Shigeru. "They haven't been identified."

The two bridge bunny males worked furious to stop the hacker, trying to get them to follow false trails and decoy entrances.

But, it didn't fall for it, and kept going.

Finally, the trace was complete, and they found that the hacker was **inside** the facility.

Shigeru's eyes opened wide. "It's in B-Wing, in the Pribnow Box!"

Maya screamed out, "The optical pattern is changing within the Angel!"

"Those glowing lines look like electronic circuits," said Shigeru. "This is just like a computer!"

They continued trying to stop the Angel, from opening more decoy entries to destroying the link the sub-computer was using.

It all failed.

"It's accessing the main security bank!" said Shigeru. "It's cracking the pass code!"

They tried everything to stop it, but the Angel plowed through all of their cyber-defenses, until its target was clear.

Shigeru turned to face the Command Deck. "They're going after the MAGI!"

"Shut down the I/O system," said Gendo.

The two guys inserted their keys, counting down, before turning, but...

"W can't shut it down!" screamed out Makoto.

"The Angel is intruding further into the computers," said Maya. "It has made contact with Melchior!

"It's no good!" she screamed as she and Ritsuko tried to block the MAGI-infection. "It's taking over Melchior!

"Melchior is being reprogrammed by the Angel!"

Soon, the computer spoke. "Melchior's self destruct has been initiated."

The three MAGI began to deliberate, before the uninfected two overrode the decision.

The Angel would not be denied.

"Melchior is now hacking into Balthasar!" said Shigeru.

"Damn, it's too fast!" gasped Makoto, not willing to give up.

Ritsuko gasped as an idea came to her. "Change the login mode! Change the synchronization code to every fifteen seconds."

The two men began doing it, and immediately the infection slowed down.

* * *

Shinji was hovering above the shadowy mess as he spotted three...women? He stared as the shadows seemed to immediately envelop one, before it moved onto the other. Not wanting them to be hurt, he lashed out with his energy, cutting into the connections of darkness that seemed to connect both the covered one to the infected one, as well as the shadows to their convert.

The ground exploded, as the three women were flung back.

The converted one screamed out, trying to still fight off whatever was attacking her.

Sighing, Shinji landed in front of them, facing the oncoming shadows. He didn't know what those three women represented in his mind, as he had never seen them before.

But, he would not let the Angel take them.

* * *

Two hours.

That was all they had to come up with a plan.

And things got worse.

* * *

"**JA-01 initializing self destruct protocols."**

"**JA-02 initializing self destruct protocols."**

"**JA-00 init... JA-00 canceling self destruct protocols."**

The JA in the center of the city then turned to JA-01, firing its main cannon at the base of the unit's feet, where the main control center was, obliterating it as well as the feet of the metal behemoth. Then, it turned and did the same to the remaining JA, before turning its own weapons to its own control center, causing it to topple as well.

Finally, it sent out one more code, before initiating full system shutdown after ensuring the others had received and complied. With the control rooms destroyed, they had no access to the MAGI systems, nor could a wireless connection make contact, so all decisions were now made through the head unit: JA-00.

"**JA-01 canceling self destruct protocols. Initiating full shut down."**

"**JA-02 canceling self destruct protocols. Initiating full shut down."**

Within moments, all three JAs were offline.

* * *

Sanada sighed. "That was close."

Seeing the questioning stares from the crew, he smiled. "Let's just say I have a few more failsafes in 00 than the others."

Ritsuko nodded. "This Angel is composed of a group of nano-machines, each the size of a virus. These machines then group together to form colonies. In a very short amount of time, they have evolved to form a sophisticated intelligent circuit."

"Evolved?"

"Yes, sir," said Ritsuko.

"But why go after Shinji like that?" asked Sanada. "It was like it targeted him as a primary. It barely touched Rei's or Asuka's simulation bodies."

Rara rubbed his chin. "Either they needed him as a power source, or they felt his energies might be used to disrupt their attack. All we know is that they needed him infected."

"Let's hope Shinji can fight them off," said Misato, hiding her worry for her charge. "If they gain full control over him...we've got no chance."

"So then," said Sanada, "let's kill this thing before it kills us...and Shinji."

"Well," started Ritsuko, finding his idea very agreeable, if it saved one of her intimate friends, "it is constantly evolving to best suit the current environment."

"That's their survival mechanism as a life form," said Kozo.

"Against an enemy that constantly evolves to overcome their weaknesses, the only effective counter-measure is to eliminate the host and let the parasite die with it."

"As much as that might be a good idea, Major," said Sanada, "we have a large range of hosts here for the buggers. So, unless you want me to head up and fully activate a self-destruct from the JAs to eliminate the Angel, the MAGI, the simulation bodies, Shinji, and about three floors of the Geo-front, I suggest we find another way."

"As long as the Angel keeps evolving," stated Ritsuko, "we have a chance of perhaps influencing or even controlling its evolution."

Gendo nodded. "Expediting its evolution, structuring it to quickly reach the end of evolution; self-destruction: death itself."

Ritsuko nodded.

"And Shinji?" asked Shigeru.

Gendo pushed the glasses up on his nose. "We have to hope he can evolve beyond what the Angel is capable of."

"We do have another problem...possibly. If the Angel sees it as its only practical means of survival, it may choose to co-exist with the MAGI."

Rara chuckled. "Man, we seem to be getting all of the upgrades done this month quiet cheaply."

"How could it do that?" asked Makoto.

"The Angel is a computer itself," said Ritsuko. "We can reverse hack by connecting Casper to the Angel and uploading a self-destruct program. But..."

Maya finished for her. "At the same time, we'll have to turn off the barrier to the Angel."

"An all-or-nothing gamble," said Sanada.

"Yes," said Ritsuko. "And since the last readings we had from Shinji showed he was still fighting it, we can assume it won't be using him as a trump card."

"Will the program be ready in time?" asked Misato. "If Casper is taken over first, it's all over."

"Have some faith in me, Misato," said Ritsuko. "I always keep my promises." _And I never let my friends down._

* * *

Toji and Kaoru just looked at the fallen JAs from inside their EVAs. "Man, I do **not** want to know why they did that."

"It is most curious," said Kaoru.

"WILL SOMEONE DOWN THERE FUCKING ANSWER ME!" came a scream from their comm. systems.

Kaoru looked up, spotting the blue form of JA-03: Trident. "Hello, Ms. Kirishima. How can we help you?"

The image of her popped up on his holographic screen. "What the hell is going on? I've been trying to reach HQ for almost an hour, and Trident is detecting weird energy patterns. When I get here, I find the city defenses are offline and the JAs missing their feet."

Toji finished checking his ears to see if Mana's scream had popped his eardrums, before speaking. "Long story. Safe to say someone fucked up, and it'll be a while."

The Trident hovered near the ground, before switching to humanoid form. "This has the signs of a hacker all over it."

Kaoru blinked. "I remember Mr. Aida saying he hacked into things."

Toji smiled as Mana stalked off in the Trident to question the young military fanboy. _Ah, sold out a friend to buy himself time. Taught you well, I have._

* * *

As Casper rose from the chamber sheltering it, the group of scientists and programmers stood to the side.

Opening an access hatch, Ritsuko peered into the crawl space that led to the MAGI's main core processor.

Of course, she discovered that her mother was never all that organized to begin with.

"What are those?" asked Maya.

Ritsuko crawled into the computer, looking around. "These are the developer's notes."

Sanada whistled. "Reminds me of Rara during college."

"Humph," said the bald man. "I seem to remember someone leaving a sandwich under their bed for three weeks."

Maya ignored the two as she grabbed some of the notes. "My god, these are access codes: MAGI access codes! It's like a special map to all the MAGI's secret backdoors. Am I even allowed to see these?"

Rara looked at a set. "At least their even in INT-C."

"With these," said Maya, "we can program much faster than we thought!"

Ritsuko nodded, before staring forward. _Thanks, mom. With these, we can make it._

* * *

Soon, Maya, Sanada, and Rara were programming code, as Ritsuko worked to access the MAGI's main processor.

Misato was inside with Ritsuko, as the woman worked on opening up the MAGI. "So, are you blaming yourself?"

"For the Angel?"

"For Shinji."

Ritsuko worked a little longer before responding. "No, he wouldn't want me to. He'd want me to stop this thing."

Misato nodded, handing Ritsuko another tool she asked for. "I'm sorry for suggesting..."

"Don't worry about it," said the blonde.

Misato sighed. "Doesn't this remind you a bit of our college days?" Seeing her friend was once again overly focused on the task at hand, Misato tried once again to break the tension. "Hey, why don't you tell me a little about the MAGI?"

"It's a long story," said Ritsuko.

"Try me."

"Do you know about the Personality Transplant OS?"

Misato nodded. "It's for transplanting an individual's personality into a seventh generation computer so it can think for itself.

"The same technology is used for operating the EVAs."

"I've heard that the MAGI's programming used one of the first test subjects." Ritsuko continued to work as Misato considered those words.

"My mother developed the technology," said Ritsuko as she removed one of the final seals.

"So, it was her personality that was transplanted?"

"Yep," said Ritsuko, as she turned the power saw onto the last seal.

As she put down the saw, she resumed speaking to her friend. "In a very real sense, these brains are my mother."

"You hardly ever speak of her," said Misato. "Is that why you wanted to protect the MAGI?"

"I didn't offer it to protect them," said Ritsuko. "I never really liked my mom. I did it to protect us all."

* * *

Balthasar fell, and the two infected MAGI began to assault the remaining one.

"The self destruct sequence has been initiated by the computer. Self destruct will be initiated twenty seconds after all three AI consent," said the computer.

"Any time, Ritsu," said Misato, as the three programmers sent their data to her.

"Please, Misato. First you say I need to add some style to my life, then you want the old me back."

"Don't add it when we're going to die!"

"Don't worry, I have a whole second to spare," said the calm doctor, as she finally pushed the return key to start the program.

On the screen, the bridge crew watched as one small section of Casper remained uninfected, blinking, before the infected areas fell away from it, and the MAGI.

At once, they all released the breath they had been holding, screaming out in celebration as the computerized voice informed them that the MAGI had now cancelled the self-destruct.

Throughout the complex, the now orange glow of the Angel's circuits faded away to nothing, including whatever had grown on an angelic boy.

* * *

Shinji slumped to the ground as the tentacles of darkness faded from view.

Looking up, he saw the three maidens walking towards him, now affording him a better glance. All three appeared unharmed from the ordeal, their clothes no different now than when he had first seen them.

One wore a lab outfit that he often saw Ritsuko wear.

Another wore an apron and simple house dress, like what he remembered his guardian-mother wearing.

The third wore a simple dress, but dressed to kill...in the dating sense of the term.

And all three...looked exactly the same. "Hello, are you okay?" he asked, trying to push away the feeling of tiredness in him.

The women stopped and nodded.

"I'm Shinji Ikari."

The lab coated one bowed. "I am Melchior; the creator as a scientist."

The scantily dressed one bowed as well. "I am Casper; the creator as a woman."

Finally, the apron-wearing one bowed. "I am Balthasar; the creator as a mother."

"And who is the Creator?" asked Shinji.

"She was Dr. Naoko Akagi," said Balthasar, helping him up.

"Akagi?" Shinji said, stunned. "I'm in the MAGI?"

"Yes," said Melchior. "I am quite amazed you made it here, but we thank you for giving them the time they needed to defeat the Angel."

The others nodded in agreement.

Shinji just smiled. "I seem to always be making weird friends."

Balthasar made sure he was standing, as his legs seemed to grow weaker. "You need to return to your body and rest, child."

"Yes," smiled Casper, "don't want that hot bod breaking down on you."

_Great, now AIs are hitting on me!_

"Before you go, Shinji," stated Balthasar, "can you do us a small favor?"

* * *

"Hello? Anyone?"

The bridge crew turned towards the screen, where an obviously tired Shinji sat still inside the plug of the simulation body.

"Shinji!' said Ritsuko, glad to see her friend was still alive.

Misato smiled, but stayed professional. "What's your status?"

Shinji sighed. "Tired, hungry, and in need of some aspirin. That damned thing hit like a truck."

"Is it still around?" asked Kozo.

"If it is, I can't feel it," said Shinji.

"Any bad feelings?" asked Ritsuko, remembering how he had warned them a bit before all hell broke loose.

He shook his head. "I think...everything's fine." Taking a deep breath, he paused a bit. "Dr. Akagi?"

"Yes, Shinji?" she asked.

"The MAGI had a message for you, I think I was linked to them when the Angel was attacking."

"What was the message?" she asked, wondering what the supercomputer had to say.

"They are...very...proud of you. Balthasar said you are a wonderful daughter, Melchior said you were brilliant in how you handled things, and Casper said you still need to go hang out more with Misato."

The bridge crew stared at the screen, while Ritsuko smirked. "That's Mother for you, always thinking three things at once."

Inside, it warmed her heart a bit...that her mother was proud of her...even if it was just a simulation of the actual person.

It still felt good.

* * *

"I'm beginning to get old," said Ritsuko, as Misato walked up to her, handing her a cup of coffee. "These all-nighters are killing me."

Misato smiled. "But you kept your promise. Good job."

Ritsuko nodded. Soon, Shinji would be extracted from the simulation body, and most likely spending a few hours in his regeneration tank.

"This is the first time I've ever appreciated your coffee," said Ritsuko.

Misato giggled nervously.

Ritsuko turned towards the open MAGI. "Before she died, my mother told me that the MAGI are three aspects of herself: herself as a scientist, herself as a mother, and herself as a woman. Those three aspects of her are struggling for dominance inside the MAGI.

"She intentionally implanted the dilemmas of the human experience into them. Actually, each of the three programs are slightly different as well.

"I don't think I'll ever be a mother, and I'll probably never understand her as a mother. I respected her as a scientist. However, as a woman, I hated her."

"You talk too much, Ritsu," said Misato.

As Casper was lowered back into its storage chamber, Ritsuko sighed. "Casper contains the program of her as a woman. She stayed a woman to the last; how totally like her."

* * *

Asuka sat inside the entry plug in the lake of NERV, still naked...and still upset. "Can someone get us out of these things now?" she screamed.

"Hello?"

It would be a while before anyone answered. By that time, even Rei had left her own plug to go find some clothes, and take care of the feeling that once again, Shinji had been injured.

* * *

Sanada and Ritsuko sat in the bar at NERV HQ. The duo had been instrumental in saving the base from the Angel's attack, and now...were enjoying some down time.

Of course, Ritsuko also needed to satisfy her curiosity. "Care to tell me?"

"Hmm?" asked Sanada, as he set his now empty glass down.

"Exactly how JA-00 didn't allow the others to self-destruct?"

Sanada motioned for another drink, having it filled before speaking, his eyes never leaving the drink. "Kazuki Yotsuga."

"A name?"

He nodded. "While the AI soul of the JA is blank, it is left to us as designers to give it life...in some small way.

"You see, the AI was filled with the digitalized brain scan of a young boy my daughters knew. They were playing one day, when a drunk driver decided to jump the curb. Kazuki saved my daughters by pushing her out of the way. He...wasn't so fortunate."

"How bad?" Ritsuko asked.

Sanada took a sip of his drink, not liking the feelings these memories were dredging up. "Very bad. He was in a coma for over a week before his body began to fail.

"My little Mitsuki loved the boy as did my step-daughter Dee; I'm almost certain that Rara's daughter did as well. I didn't want them to fully lose their friend, so I scanned his brain pattern into the JA AI Soul, and thus...gave him life once again. His physical body died shortly thereafter."

"So then the memory patterns in the JA series..."

"Are the brain patterns of a child a few years younger than our own pilots," he finished. Looking at his drink, he tried to find solace in it. "Kazuki has always helped us. He was the reason we were able to board the commandeered 00. He sent me a message about how he was going to blind it, as well as allowed the cameras to see inside."

"But the other JAs authorized self destruct?"

Sanada nodded. "The others are merely copies of him, so their character and strength of will hasn't fully developed. 00 has had years to develop those, while 01 and 02 have had months.

"But...they do see themselves as brothers, and if one falls, another will stand in their place. The Kazuki in 00 kept the others from falling, and kept the Angel from succeeding."

He stood up, steadying himself a bit as the effects of the drinks began to hit him. "That boy is still protecting people, even in this limbo; much like your Mother."

Ritsuko nodded, but didn't show any of her usual displeasure of the mentioning of the woman.

"Well, I'm off!" said the slightly drunk scientist. "I got a repair team combing through the JAs to ensure our uninvited guest didn't leave any surprises behind. Good day, Dr. Akagi."

She watched him walk off, knowing the man was in pain from what he recalled. _Dead, but alive; it describes them both so well. Echoes of a soul, still clinging to the mortal planes and some sense of immortality...to watch over everyone._

_Does this mean...Mother is now watching over me?_

* * *

Ken Sanada stepped into the empty control room of JA-00, before sitting in the programmer's chair. Tapping a few buttons, he smiled as a pixilated face slowly began to form on the screen, showing a young boy, slightly younger than those he worked with on a daily basis.

"Hello, Dr. Sanada," said the image, bowing slightly.

"Hello, Kazuki. How are you feeling?"

* * *

Omake by Innortal:

Gendo snorted as Dr. Akagi stormed out of his office. "Go then! I can defeat the Angels without you or your teams!"

Of course, it was only a few minutes later that Gendo suddenly realized...he had no fucking idea how to work or repair an EVA.

"Oh well," he said, "it's not like it can be that hard if a blond could do it."

* * *

Shinji was standing before his EVA with his father...who just handed him a weird green book. "What?"

"You will now pilot Unit 01 using this Mamodo book."

You see, when in trouble, Gendo turned to what helped him through college: anime and manga.

The less said about the time he accidentally called Yui "Ranma-chan" during sex was better off not said. The police report however is still available.

Shinji sighed in depression. His father was still using him, now to test new piloting techniques. So, he walked away, opening the book. "What the hell does Zakair do?"

Gendo's smile fell off his face as 01 opened its mouth and shot out a bursting stream of energy, impacting Gendo into the wall and giving him severe burns.

* * *

Shinji sighed as the battle raged on between the Angel and Unit 01. _I hate my life._

"I use Polymerization to fuse Unit 01 with Blue Eyes White Dragon, to form Blue Eyes White Dragon Evangelion 01!"

Soon, the two blurred and were replaced with the fused form of the two monsters.

"Now, 01; White Instrumentality Neutron Blast!"

And the monster did strike, its blast obliterating the Angel...as well as the mansion ten miles away and directly behind it.

Gendo began crying. How could his dream home be destroyed?

* * *

Shinji sighed once again, cursing his obviously delusional father. "Big-EVA; it's showtime!"

And thus, the purple and black behemoth rose from the ground, Shinji trying to stand still on its outstretched fist.

As the giant took a step forward, it crushed a brand new sports car, completely decked out.

Guess who owned it?

"Sir," said Kozo, "I told you not to park it there."

* * *

Shinji sighed once again, wondering if he could simple fall off this building and die. His father had redesigned the plug suit, now giving it a helmet.

Taking out his flute/dagger/damn thing that couldn't kill a gnat but somehow hurt Angels, Shinji put it up to the crude lips of his mask, and somehow, began playing music.

Sadly, a flute, let alone a dragon flute dagger, was not his musical instrument of choice or skill.

Gendo slowly paled as Unit 01 stopped fighting the Angel, began to moonwalk, and crushed his remaining bright spot in this life: the Pretty Kitty Strip Club.

* * *

Ritsuko smiled as she left the Commander's Office, enjoying the sight of what little of his belongings were left being stored in boxes in the corner of the bare office. She knew how stupid the man was, but also how violent Yui would be when informed of her husband's infidelities.

"Sometimes, I wish it was easier to get a weekend off. Then I wouldn't have to do this every so often."

* * *

Omake by sabel4:

"Hello, are you okay?" he asked, trying to push away the feeling of tiredness in him.

The figures stopped and nodded.

"I'm Shinji Ikari."

The trouser wearing one said, "I am Yakko."

The red hat wearing one said, "I am Wakko."

Finally, the female one bowed. "I am Dot."

After this, Yakko and Wakko stated "We're the Warner brothers!", and Dot added "And I'm the Warner sister."

Meanwhile, outside, everyone was trying to figure out how someone already on the floor was performing a facefault.

* * *

Omake by Typhonis:

Misato had seen some weird things before but this took the cake.

Gendo sat at the head of the table...bald as a cue ball and wearing a grey suit. enpen sat in his lap as he spoke in a Kermit the Frog voice.

"Now our plan can proceed as scheduled. Isn't that right, Mr. Biggleworth."

The hot spring penguin had a look of horror on his face. Much later Gendo would demand to know who had slipped him those 'special' brownies.

* * *

In your reviews, state which name you want Unit 03 and 04 to have. 


	13. The Person We See

**Chapter 13**

**The Person We See**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

**Author's note:** Sorry about not spelling the Sanada's name right. I blame lousy reading skills on my part and that was how it read from the website. These mistakes will be corrected next week, as I try to redo the earlier chapters to make them feel more meshed with the rest of them.

* * *

In the year 2015 A.D., the Third Angel attacked. It was called Sachiel.

Several divisions of the UN Forces as well as two divisions of the JSSDF were lost in the attack against the Angel.

Conventional weapons were found to have no effect on this new enemy. All assaults were either ignored or blocked by what was later termed an AT Field.

The UN forces, having failed to accomplish their task transferred command to the special organization NERV.

At midnight the same day, the Angel arrived at NERV HQ.

Also on this day, the Third Child was acquired: Shinji Ikari.

He was accepted as pilot for Evangelion Unit 01, and sortied in its first engagement without prior training.

This was the first recorded combat event for NERV.

**Urban combat in Tokyo-3, an Interim Report. Commanding Officer: Capt. Misato Katsuragi, Director of Strategic Operations:** _Although there was a great deal of damage as a result; the fact that a boy with no prior piloting experience completed a mission against an unknown enemy makes Shinji Ikari deserving of special notice._

_However, for the Department of Strategic Operations, it was a battle that revealed a few problems._

During the combat, it was noted that both Unit 01 and the Angel: Sachiel, were both seen generating AT Fields.

During this battle, the Evangelion reacted viciously against the Angel, including the forceful removal of Sachiel's S2 organ after successfully penetrating the Angel's AT Field.

This organ was then ingested by Unit 01.

However, this led to the temporary paralysis of Unit 01, which was capitalized on by the Angel.

It self-destructed.

The Intercept Facility was slightly damaged. Unit 01 received moderate damage.

The number of victims—both casualties and fatalities—incurred during this event were not made public, even when the battle was broadcasted.

**Excerpts from the notebook of Toji Suzuhara:** _My sister's only in fifth grade. She got hurt in that stupid disturbance and she was hurt by our own stupid robot, not the enemy._

_There's no way I can forgive anyone who did something so stupid._

_I'm going to let them feel my anger and teach those jerks who hurt my sister a lesson._

_Well, assuming Naru will stop yelling at me long enough._

* * *

The Fourth Angel: Shamshel.

This Angel attacked a few weeks later, following a similar path from the sea towards Tokyo-3.

The performance of the surface-to-air intercept ratio was forty-two-point-eight percent.

The operation ratio of the Tokyo-3 battle formation was ninety-six-point-eight percent.

These were once again ignored by the Angel's AT Field.

**Excerpt from the diary of Hikari Horaki:** _We've already had a lot of evacuation training at school, so we really didn't think it was so serious._

_All the guys were acting like jerks, like it was a field trip, and none of the girls were afraid either._

The Fourth Angel soon arrived at Tokyo-3. This led to what was called the Second Battle of Tokyo-3.

During the battle, the newly acquired S2 organ of Unit 01 became damaged, and the unit was forced to switch to emergency backup power.

In the end, EVA successfully defeated the Angel.

NERV acquired a completely intact specimen.

As of yet, no final report has been submitted or published.

This was also the last sortie of Evangelion Unit 01 with the S2 organ acquired from the Third Angel.

**Medical Excerpt from Dr. Ritsuko Akagi:**_ While we are still uncertain as to why it has occurred, the Third Child is exhibiting sympathetic pains of 01 while it attempts to remove the S2 organ as if it was an offending organism._

_Though it defied known parameters, the severe fever of Shinji did not cause any brain damage._

* * *

The Fifth Angel: Ramiel.

This Angel entered Tokyo-3 airspace too quickly to be intercepted beforehand.

Evangelion Unit 01 was launched to intercept, but was immediately struck upon reaching the surface with a high-level particle beam attack.

This was both the first instance of the Third Child achieving a sync ratio over one hundred percent, as well as the deployment of wings from 01.

The unit was successfully retrieved, with the only damage being light heat melting of the upper armor and severe exhaustion of the Third Child.

To combat this nearly impregnable enemy, Captain Katsuragi proposed Operation Yashima, for which she received approval.

The First Child: Rei Ayanami, received her first combat experience in the rehabilitated EVA Unit 00.

At midnight the same day, part of the Angel penetrated the Geo-front.

NERV carried out Operation Yashima.

**From the personal files of Kensuke Aida:**_ Surprisingly, Shinji told me everything that I didn't get to witness on the Pay-per-view showing of the battle afterwards. Ayanami tried to sacrifice herself to protect Unit 01 from the enemy's particle beam attack._

_Truthfully, I'm not really certain, but it does sound like her. For some reason, she hovers around him, almost afraid he might get hurt, like an overprotective mother. I really don't think Ayanami has any respect for her own existence, but she really values that of Shinji._

_But Shinji used the wings again to protect her while firing the kill shot._

_He also told me he actually used up too much energy, and clinically died._

_But, he's feeling much better now._

Operation Yashima was a complete success.

Thanks to the efforts of the Third Child, Unit 00 sustained only minor heat damage.

This use of the wings caused the heart of the Third Child to stop.

However, paramedics managed to restart his heart.

* * *

The Sixth Angel: Gaghiel.

This Angel attacked the fleet escorting Evangelion Unit 02 as well as the Second Child to Japan.

"This was not within accordance with the scenario."

"Nevertheless, it was within projected parameters. We can make the necessary adjustments."

The Second Child: Asuka Langley Soryu: designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, experienced her first actual combat.

This was the first engagement of EVA Unit 02. It involved hand-to-hand combat over the open sea...and...the first underwater sortie.

The encounter took place in the region of the former Ito Peninsula.

The Third Child also demonstrated the ability to use the wings in other units aside from Unit 01.

The result: the Angel was destroyed.

**Report from UN Fleet Admiral Jason Richards:**_ The UN lost a third of its entire fleet in this encounter. While they may have belonged to Japan, we do not consider the damage negligible. _

_However, with the likelihood of more encounters with the Angels, it is highly unlikely they will be replaced within the foreseeable future._

* * *

The Seventh Angel: Israfel.

This Angel was intercepted by all three currently active Evangelion units, as well as two partially completed Jet Alone units: 01 and 02.

After an initial assault from EVA Unit 02, it was discovered that this was the first Angel encountered to possess the ability to separate and recombine parts of its body.

This was the first sortie for the JA series as well as all three Evangelions. Though their performance as a team was a failure except for the teamwork of the First and Third Child, they did manage to help weaken and expose the Angel's weakness.

After training, Evangelions Units 00 and 02—now equipped with fully functional S2 organs—utilized a simultaneous, synchronized attack and the Angel was destroyed.

* * *

The Eighth Angel: Sandalphon.

This Angel was detected within the crater of volcanic Mt. Asama.

NERV ordered a Special Command A-17. The capture operation was performed under top priority conditions.

The target was trapped within an electromagnetic barrier, but...the cage was destroyed and the operation was aborted.

Immediately, the objective of the operation was altered to the destruction of the Angel.

However, it temporarily incapacitated the Second Child.

Unit 01 then dove into the lava and engaged the target, having generated four wings upon his EVA.

The Second Child rejoined the battle after ascending: evolving to the point of generating her own wings.

The Angel was destroyed, and both EVAs sustained light damage.

Upgrades were completed on Unit 00, and it was repainted blue.

The reason for this color change is unknown.

* * *

The Ninth Angel: Matariel.

This spider-like Angel approached when NERV had been sabotaged by group or groups unknown.

This is the first combat experience for JA-03: Codename Trident. Its pilot is Mana Kirishima.

It is also the first recorded combat experience of the Third Child outside of his EVA.

**Battle Report of Lieutenant Kirishima:**_ I'm still not certain why Shinji did what he did. I guess he's still not comfortable yet to tell me._

_At first, we thought the target was an easy prey._

_We were wrong, and lucky to survive the ordeal._

It was discovered with their encounter that the Angel's blood contained a highly acidic compound, as well as unstable, as it became explosive with prolonged exposure to air.

_Trident didn't really enjoy his first sortie. But then again, one doesn't usually enjoy being near ground zero for such a high level of explosive force._

_The blast sheered off Shinji's wings, and despite his reports to the contrary, I know he was in incredible pain from it._

_He wasn't informed, but I could hear him scream when it occurred, as if the sound of the explosion was cancelled out._

_I was relieved to find him alive. Luckily, Trident was able to maneuver us to save him from the fall after we cleared the shock wave._

The target was then engaged by Units 00 and 02 using the newly modified positron laser rifles. It occurred at the sight of the N2 attack on the Third Angel to spare Tokyo-3 from battle damage.

The Angel was destroyed.

Sensor readings however, indicate that the resulting blast equaled the force of three N2 mines.

At this time, no arrests have been made in the case of sabotage.

* * *

The Tenth Angel: Sahaqiel.

This massive Angel shared the Ninth Angel's explosive blood gift.

This sortie also marked the first use of all five Evangelions, as well as the first sortie for both the Fourth Child: Toji Suzuhara, and the Fifth Child: Kaoru Nagisa.

Trident was used to pierce the Angel's ECM, and help establish a drop point.

The enemy dropped on targets from the stratosphere, using the explosive blood to further boost the kinetic explosive force of its attacks. MAGI predictions show that its impact would be several magnitudes greater than the Extinction Level Event that is theorized to have killed off the dinosaurs sixty five million years ago.

All five EVAs intercepted the target before it could impact Tokyo-3.

The Angel was destroyed. The EVAs were able to deflect all the explosive force of the Angel's final attack back into the sky, resulting in minimal damage to Tokyo-3 and the surrounding area.

**Mission Report of Col. Misato Katsuragi:**_ Though I will admit to having some minor fear of this encounter, I am pleased that my faith within both the Evangelion units as well as the Children was not misplaced. All have shown a great drive to both protect this city, as well as humanity in general._

_In short, I am forced to conclude that together, this team can accomplish anything, no matter how impossible it may seem._

* * *

The Eleventh Angel.

There is a rumor that this Angel had penetrated NERV HQ.

However, this Angel's existence has not yet been confirmed as fact.

The launching of all five EVAs as well as the malfunction of all three JA units stationed at Tokyo-3 has been reported as a result of faulty components used to update and repair the MAGI.

* * *

"This is not good. Everything is happening too early," said the USA member of the Human Instrumentality Commission.

"That's true. This did not occur in accordance with our predictions of when an Angel would invade NERV," said the French member.

England's member of the Human Instrumentality Commission scowled. "What's worse, you let it intrude into Central Dogma itself."

USA continued. "If contact had occurred, our entire project could have ended in disaster."

Gendo remained calm, showing no emotion. "The report to this committee was in error. There is no true behind this tale of an Angel invasion."

The Russian member stared at him. "Are you saying that the Eleventh Angel's incursion did not occur, Ikari?"

"Speak with caution, Ikari," said the French Member. "Making false statements to this Council is punishable by death."

Gendo placed his hands on the table. "Check the MAGI's data recorders. Nothing concerning such an incident was recorded."

Though for the life of him, he had no idea how his son had managed to so thoroughly erase all traces of the data. He knew it wasn't for him though, and it was only most likely that it had occurred because of the conference Fuyutsuki and Sanada had given the angelic child.

USA snorted. "This is absurd. Hiding the truth is your specialty."

Gendo refolded his hands to hide his mouth. "The time schedule is being carried out in accordance with the details prescribed by the Dead Sea Scrolls."

"All right," said Chairman Keele, representing Germany. "We won't discuss any possible guilt or punishment at this time.

"But...let me remind you that **you** will not create a new scenario"

Gendo was surprised that he could accept this. After all, it wasn't him making this new scenario...it was Shinji. "I understand. Everything is proceeding according to SEELE's plan."

* * *

After Gendo had been dismissed, the Committee changed into their private mode, as their other members arrived.

"So," said SEELE X, "Gendo is still pretending to be our faithful lapdog."

"We should demand he surrender the Third Child to us for study!" cried out SEELE VIII.

"There would be a likely backlash to such an order," said SEELE I. "No, we have other arrangements already in motion to either acquire the child or destroy him. This matter is dropped."

"And of the other so-called ascended?" asked SEELE V.

SEELE I stayed quiet for a moment. "If the removal of the source does not stop them, then they will all be terminated. Begin planning such a contingency."

* * *

_Dreams._

_I like to dream._

_But my dreams are beginning to mirror those of Shinji-kun._

_The Black Moon, I still feel it, still feel the connection, a connection that all humanity...all lilum have forgotten exists._

_Where did it come from?_

_Why is it here?_

_What is the hatred between the Moons of Black and White?_

_Humans...lilum...individuals. Choices of good and evil assault them on a daily basis, always trying to define the path they choose._

_Adam? Community? The Angels...they seem to learn, to grow from each assault, each attempt gleams them more knowledge. For them, death does not exist, as long as one remains._

_Commonality._

_Lilith? Individuality? Humans have to form connections where none exist, discover what is not always shared._

_Two different philosophies, two different ways to view life._

_Diametric. _

_Different._

_Conflicting._

_Are these the reasons for the hate between the first two Angels?_

_Did their makers put this hatred in on purpose, or was the Lance an update to remove such conflicts._

_If so, then would it not be better to destroy the encroaching Moon?_

_Life...too precious even to end, letting it remain to further threaten what each seed produces._

_Light, fading...Lilith cannot maintain her hold on the world._

_Adam...still too weak to initiate his own genesis._

_The Commander...his options shifting, changing._

_Shinji...a new Moon, a new Seed?_

_Is he our hope, our future?_

_My heart...is he the soul I seek? Does he complete me?_

_Those he ascends...they contain both the Fruit of Knowledge and the Fruit of Life._

_Do we have a commonality? Do we have the connection that now, shall never truly be gone?_

_Questions upon questions, answers always beyond my grasp._

_Evolution continues, but...will we reach the end?_

_Or are we only at a new beginning?_

_Am I human? Can I now become one with Shinji-kun?_

_Am I lilum? Or am I...more?_

_Blood of man inside the new moon._

_The new moon is changing, making all like it, making a new genesis._

_Shinji-kun? His position in this? Destiny? Choice? Commonality? Individuality?_

_Lilith? Adam? Both seem to now want him dead._

_Tabris? Kaoru? Where will they stand when the time comes?_

_Where will the Commander stand when my original purpose comes?_

_Where will I stand when such decisions are before me?_

_Evangelion? A human creation._

_Shinji hears them, feels what they feel. I think he talks to them, talks to the souls inside._

_Truth? Growth? Destiny? Free will?_

_Is there a God? Are the makers of the two Moons God?_

_Is Shinji...God?_

_What are the choices I have?_

_Who am I to be?_

_Shinji-kun...please...help me with this, help me decide...help me...live._

* * *

"So, Rei," said Dr. Akagi, "how does it feel to be piloting Unit 01 for the first time?"

Rei sat in silence for a moment. Her angelic senses could now sense something...beyond...what she normally felt inside an EVA. She knew something was inside the large machine.

But unlike Shinji, she couldn't...connect with it. All she could get was a sense of...curiosity...from Unit 01.

So, she said the only thing she could. "It smells like Shinji-kun."

* * *

**First Compatibility Experiment: Subjects: Rei Ayanami, Toji Suzuhara, and Kaoru Nagisa.**

Ritsuko looked at the data screen. "Her sync ratio is almost the same as in Unit 00."

Maya nodded. "Unit 00 and 01's personal data patterns are almost the same as well."

Sanada nodded. "Well, you did have the same pilot give them both S2 organs."

Ritsuko nodded. "That in part is what makes the sync experiments possible. Thanks to Shinji's data, we might be able to have the pilots use any Evangelion if the need arises."

Maya nodded. "Error is less than 0.03. Harmonics are normal."

Ritsuko smiled as she nodded. "No detectable problems found for compatibility between Rei and Unit 01.

"What about Toji and Kaoru?"

Maya switched the data screens. "It appears to be the same, ma'am. Toji seems to have no trouble piloting Unit 04 and Kaoru seems to have no problems piloting Unit 03."

She smiled to herself. "Well, it looks like Units 01, 03, and 04 have backup pilots now.

"Okay, Rei, the experiment is over, you can get out now. You guys as well. You can all get out now."

"Man," Toji whined, "I was hoping to test out my wings."

Shortly after the Eleventh Angel had been defeated, both Toji and Naru had ascended, each. Naru's wings had taken a light green tone, which thrilled the little girl, who wanted to work and eventually own a florist shop.

She really enjoyed when Shinji brought her some starter supplies to grow her own flowers; much to Toji's annoyance.

Toji's wings were pitch black, and when he looked at his EVA, he chose to pick the name Azrael, the Angel of Death, after watching Gundam Wing with Kensuke over the weekend before.

Kaoru, being the last non-winged pilot, nodded his agreement, as he had chosen a name for Unit 04 based on Shinji's suggestions: Hoshoni.

Shinji had been happy when those names had been settled, since now it meant he could sleep without the EVAs waking him up to discuss things.

* * *

**Eighty-seventh Joint Operations Experiment Subject: Asuka Langley Soryu.**

"Data bank for Unit 02 complete."

"Harmonics are all normal."

"Pilot status: normal."

Asuka was a little steamed. Everyone else was testing inside a different EVA. And while she didn't particularly want to pilot anything other than her perfect Unit 02, she was a little upset that she was being left out once again.

"Of course they're normal," asked snorted. "I'm the only pilot Unit 02 will ever need."

* * *

**First Combat Experiment Using New Power Relay Systems Experiment Subject: Shinji Ikari.**

"**And they really did that?" **Nao asked.

Shinji nodded. _Those AIs in the MAGI are very...weird. I mean, one about jumped me, saying it was the creator as a woman. What kind of sex drive makes a woman jump a strange guy like that?_

"**Silly boy, you assume a sex drive was ever logical."**

_Excuse me for being the naïve virgin._

Truthfully, Shinji was happy that Nao's feelings had been growing friendly towards everyone, including her hatred of the First Child.

She still wanted Gendo dead—an ideal that Shinji fully supported—but at least her stubborn resistance to Rei was lowering.

_You know, it's kind of nice like this: no fighting, just relaxing, no forcing ourselves higher for the moment._

_We can just be...ourselves._

"**High ideals, it is good to enjoy those while we can. Sadly, we have no idea when the next enemy will arrive, or what they'll be capable of."**

Shinji nodded, as he relaxed into the seat, trying to improve his wingless connection to Nao. _I'll be certain to enjoy the peace while I can._

_I doubt this war is going to be over anytime soon._

* * *

"What about Unit 00's personal data?" asked Ritsuko.

"Already reconfigured, Sempai," said Maya. "We're just reconfirming it now."

The four pilots and Misato had gathered in the test chamber command center to observe. All of them knew this was little more than formality. After all, Shinji had spent hours inside the EVA to give it a S2 organ, and was the only pilot who cross-trained on all the EVAs—though Asuka was never told this.

"Hey guys," said Mana, as she, Dr. Sanada, and Dr. Rara entered the room. "How's he doing?"

Misato smiled. "Everything's going great for the moment."

The three arrivals nodded.

"Dr. Akagi," said Rei, "may I ask why Shinji is inside Unit 00 instead of me for this procedure?"

Ritsuko looked towards the albino girl. "Sorry to say, Rei, but Shinji has a higher sympathetic response than any other pilot with an EVA. We're doing a final shakedown of the new power relays we installed a few months ago. He can tell us if they are even slightly out of sync. Afterwards, we'll start installing them in the remaining EVAs, and you all will have more power at your disposal during battle."

Kaoru's eyes widened. "My, that would be a benefit."

Ritsuko nodded, before turning back. "Subject status?"

"A little nervous all things considered," said a male tech. "But no problems are being found in his nerve patterns."

"Of course not," said Misato. "This isn't his first time in Unit 00, you know; or any other EVA for that matter."

"Like he'd care what EVA he piloted," said Asuka, acting bored with the whole test.

"He does care, because he's Shinji," said Misato.

"And that's why he's an idiot," said Asuka.

"This from the girl who won't pilot anything other than Unit 02 or allow anyone else to," mumbled Toji.

Misato's giggle and Asuka's glare told him he hadn't nearly been quiet enough when he said that.

"Speaking of which," said Asuka, her voice rougher as she still maintained her death stare at Toji, "why don't I have to take part in the compatibility experiment?"

"I believe Shinji-kun said that the other Evangelions do not like you," said Rei. "He said that while Unit 02 was clearly attached to you, the others felt you were too...obnoxious...to allow them to let you pilot."

"WHAT?"

Rei turned to Kaoru. "I do not believe I misspoke."

Kaoru nodded. "I believe she is refusing to believe your words."

Asuka growled. "And what makes Fairy Boy think he knows what the EVAs want?"

Toji smiled. "He knows because they let him know their names."

"Idiot, I already know their names."

"Incorrect," said Rei. "You know their designations. Shinji knows what they prefer to be called."

Misato blinked. "You mean the Evangelions...are alive?"

Kaoru nodded. "Shinji-kun believes so. Unit 04 seems to feel...easier...to sync with when I refer to it as Hoshoni."

Toji nodded. "Yep, and I feel better inside Unit 03 when I call him Azrael. After all, when I get a hold of a progressive scythe, I'll truly be an Angel of Death on the battlefield."

"But what are the other names?" asked Mana. She knew from her own experience that the EVAs could really be alive and sentient. After all, she spoke all the time to Trident, and Dr. Rara was currently working on an interface so that Trident could communicate with others aside from the pilots.

Rei turned towards her. "He says Unit 00 wishes to be referred to as Nao. Unit 01 wishes to be referred to as Reika. And finally, Unit 02 wishes to be referred to as Kyoko."

Asuka paled at that name, slowly turning to the First Child. "It wants to be called..."

Misato bit her tongue, trying to not put her foot in her mouth, and wishing she had known of this sooner. She knew why Asuka was acting like that at the mention of the name. "Maybe it chose the name from one of the people working on it."

Kaoru nodded. "Yes, I do believe that the name was also the first name of one of the supervising technicians working on the early construction of Unit 02, before she was exposed to several chemicals and suffered Level Five bio-neuro-contamination."

"Huh?" said Toji. "Bio-whatzit?"

Ritsuko sighed. "Bio-neuro-contamination occurs due to some of the chemicals used in manufacturing Evangelions. Exposure causes neural degradation. Of course, this was before we found out some of the chemical mixtures made some nerve gases look like a common cold."

"And level five?" asked Mana, gulping, and suppressing her mind's fear that she really didn't want to know.

Ritsuko shook her head. "Dead from the moment they're exposed. They slowly begin to lose touch with reality, and eventually become extremely self destructive; even to the point of killing their families before committing suicide.

"Occasionally, one or two found ways to transfer such attachments over to sentimental items: dolls, pictures, anything that had an emotional connection between the person and a family member.

"Of course, in the end, they tried to "kill" that attachment as well."

Sanada shook his head. "Poor bastards, having their very souls stripped away like that."

Rara nodded. "Even Level Five Biohazard suits didn't protect them. It's where they got the levels from, depending on what type of suit it would eat through."

Asuka stayed quiet and pale, trying to wrap her mind at what she was hearing. She had always thought her mother was just crazy, a lunatic who cared more about a doll than her.

But was she...really sick...dying before she even left work?

"The relays?" asked Ritsuko, trying to diffuse the situation. She knew better than most people there exactly why Asuka was reacting to that name, and also hoping that this wouldn't adversely effect the Second Child's ability to pilot.

Sanada looked over a display. "All of them are in perfect sync, and no signs of feedback along any of the impulse routes."

"Shinji," said Ritsuko, "how does Unit 00's entry plug feel to you?"

Shinji blinked, rising from his communication with Nao about what happened inside the MAGI. Concentrating on the feel of the EVA's body, he smiled. "A little different from the last time, but not too bad. I can feel the noticeable power differences."

"Any incompatibility?" asked Maya.

Shinji shook his head. "No. It seems...it seems like the EVA has been working out, like it's easier to move. I'm sorry, but I can't explain it any better than that."

"Hey Shinji," said Toji, eying the First Child. "Does it smell like Rei?"

Shinji smirked. "Well, I can smell that apricot shampoo and body bath I got her last month, if that's what you're asking.

The First Child lowered her head, blushing.

Asuka shook her head out of her earlier thoughts, before glaring at the Fourth Child. "And what's that supposed to mean, pervert?"

Toji glared right back. "Only that if any one of us got inside 02, we'd probably smell brimstone."

Asuka prepared to slap him, and would have, had Misato not put her hand on Asuka's shoulder. "Not here. You two can fight outside during the personal combat training.

Seeing Asuka's evil smile, Toji could only gulp in fear.

Asuka was very good in hand-to-hand training.

Very...very...good.

He was screwed, and in a few hours, would be painfully reminded why teasing the Second Child on days like this was very bad for one's health.

Maya just shook her head, reminding herself to have the medical area at the training grounds set up with an extra amount of painkillers and staffed to reset dislocations. Asuka tended to get...playful...when she was upset; and not in the good way—unless you loved receiving pain.

A sneeze was heard, before the door opened, admitting one more person. "Report," said Commander Ikari.

"Data received," said Maya. "We are now reconfirming. Pattern is green."

Gendo nodded, as he went and stood by the window, observing the giant blue EVA.

"Main power supply is holding steady," said Rara. "We've got zero feedback."

"No change in the restraints," said one tech.

"Acknowledged."

"Okay, Shinji," said Ritsuko, "we're going onto the second stage for the compatibility tests. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he said.

* * *

"**Back to the story."**

Shinji nodded. _Well, that part might be better if I shared the memory with you; otherwise I doubt you'd believe me._

Shinji heard Nao giggle at that. **"Sure, I'd love to watch as they ravished you."**

_THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN!_

Sighing, Shinji opened his mind further to Nao, feeling her awe as she relived his memories of the battle inside his own mind as well as the MAGI.

That was, of course, until he got to the part where he saw the uninfected trio.

"_And who was the creator?" asked Shinji._

"_She was Dr. Naoko Akagi."_

And then, Unit 00 went mad.

* * *

Ritsuko stared at the readings. "Not bad. It looks like this will work."

Gendo nodded. "Begin making a schedule to have the EVAs all refitted before the end of the week."

Rara nodded. "To do that though, we'd have to pull about have of the construction robots off the building of JA-04, as well as delay the construction of the Trident-class JA-05 for a week."

Gendo nodded. "Make it so. With the Angels increasing in power, we must do so as well." He then walked closer to Ritsuko and Maya. "I take it this information will also help in the Dummy Plug System."

Ritsuko nodded. "Shinji's data will allow it to work with all of the EVAs, not just Unit 00."

Maya kept her objections to the project quiet. It didn't feel right to use the data like that.

But Ritsuko had already discussed it with her, even now saying that it would be necessary should the pilots become incapacitated. In a fight, they needed every EVA they had. And even though it wouldn't be able to achieve wings, it still would be a force to reckon with.

At this stage, they just needed it to work; achieving even one set of wings could wait till later.

It still didn't mean that Maya was convinced that the project was for the best.

A loud roar was heard, followed by the painful moans of metal being tested.

"What is it?" yelled out Misato.

"We've got a problem in the pilot's nerve pulse!" cried a male tech.

"Mental contamination is taking place!" screamed out Maya.

"Impossible," said Ritsuko. _How can the EVA be going berserk with Shinji? _"This can't happen at this plug depth.

Misato stared, worried for her charge, as the jaw restraints on Unit 00 broke loose, showing the jagged teeth of the first Evangelion, as its head slowly turned to face the control booth, before focusing on Gendo.

It slowly raised its arm, snapping the restraints on its right shoulder free, before surprising everyone in the booth.

"**GEEEENNNNNNDDDOOOOOOOOO!"**

Maya gasped. "The intrusion...isn't from the plug. It's coming from the EVA!"

Finally, the remaining restraints were ripped from the wall, as Unit 00 began trying to lunge for them.

"Unit 00 is out of control!" screamed Maya.

"Everyone, evacuate!" screamed Misato, as techs began to leave as quickly as they could.

If the EVAs were still relying on outside power, they would shut that down and let the reserve power inside them run out.

Sadly, the EVAs now had fully independent power sources.

"YOU BASTARD!"

The remaining people turned to the screen still showing Shinji, his eyes wide, his left palm grasping his forehead.

The eyes...looked psychotic.

"You bastard!" cried Shinji. "You took my work, my love, my life! I'll never forgive you, Ikari!"

00 began punching the walls, trying to break into the booth, trying to get the object of its rage.

"Shinji, stop this!" yelled Misato.

"I won't let you hurt anyone anymore for that damned woman, Ikari!" screamed Shinji. "It might be too late for me, but I won't let you drag my daughter into your twisted plans!"

Before anyone else could leave, the doors slammed shut. "What the hell?" screamed Misato, as the doors refused to open as they should.

Shinji smiled. "See, Ikari, the MAGI know to listen to their mother."

Ritsuko paled. "Mother?"

He turned on the screen to focus on her. "Yes, dear. Shinji was kind enough to remind me of the MAGI, and remind me of whom I was."

That smile turned to a snarl. "And that bastard won't harm anyone ever agai...ARGH!"

They watched as both Shinji and 00 grasped their heads in pain, moaning as if their very minds were being ripped apart.

Painfully, this was exactly what was happening.

* * *

_Naoko, stop this! We had a deal!_

"**That bastard stole everything from me! All he cares about is trying to bring her back! He made the damn doll to help him! He has to die!"**

_You'll kill everyone in that room if you keep it up!_

"**I don't care!"**

_Does that mean you'll let Ritsuko die as well?_ Shinji had no idea where this was all coming from, but for all intent and purposes, Nao now saw herself as Dr. Naoko Akagi. And in order to create a MAGI personality of her as a mother, then that meant...she needed to love her child.

"**Ritsuko...my...daughter. Shinji, he's stealing her away as well, like he did me. I...I can't let her fall like I did."**

_Naoko, don't let this happen. I can help._

Before he knew what was happening, Shinji found himself in a red void, holding a crying woman with dark reddish black hair, holding onto him.

"Not again, I can't lose it all again!"

Shinji just held the woman, the physical representation of the spirit of Evangelion Unit 00: the spirit that believed she was truly Naoko Akagi. "Shhh, it'll be okay. I'll protect Ritsuko for you."

The woman looked up at him, her eyes still crying. "Can...can you help me leave here? Can I be human again?"

Shinji nodded. "I'll try, Naoko. I'm not really certain if I can. But I'll try."

She smiled a bit, but her eyes still held amazing depths of sadness, despair, and dark emotions that slowly began to turn Shinji's stomach.

"He was right, you know," she said, her tears still trailing down his chest. "She's still there, like me, inside 01."

Shinji blinked, wondering what that meant, before everything faded to black.

* * *

The four EVA pilots and one JA pilot sat in the cafeteria. Their friend was currently inside a regeneration tube, as they tried to see what Unit 00 had done to his mind.

They hadn't been hurt when 00 went berserk...physically. Of course, the real damage to them had been hearing what Unit 00 thought of itself.

Toji used his straw, stirring his drink. "Does that mean...that all the EVAs have..." He couldn't bring himself to say it; it was too horrible if it was true.

Mana shook her head. "I hope not. I know Trident was created. I...I can't speak for the others." She looked at Kaoru. "Do you think it's true?"

Kaoru looked up from his tray of food, like the others, it had barely been touched. "Units 03 and 04 were activated using the Dummy Soul Matrixes. As for the earlier models, I lack sufficient information to come to a conclusion."

Asuka stared into her drink. Her mind was still in shock at what she had learned today. Was Unit 02 really alive? Was her mother...inside it? Were those her mother's memories that she witnessed inside the lava?

Resolving herself, she stood up.

"Asuka?" asked Mana.

"I'm going to ask the one person who would tell us the truth."

Kaoru blinked. "Who?"

"Asuka stared at him, her eyes filled with determination. "Unit 02."

The others followed.

Rei paused for a bit. She was torn once again, but she knew for a fact that Shinji would want her to help them.

Of course, that didn't make it any easier to leave him alone.

* * *

The children entered the control booth for Unit 02's chamber, as Asuka made her way to the entry plug. Everyone else had left since the berserk actions of Unit 00.

In fact, no one was supposed to be there. If caught, they knew they'd get solitary for a while.

Kaoru went to the entry plug controls, expertly moving the plug into position for entry into 02.

Mana just looked at Asuka's screen. "Are you sure this is wise?"

Asuka stared into the screen with the same determination she had been showing since they left the cafeteria. "I have to know, Mana."

The JA pilot nodded. She could understand such reasons. If Trident might have truly been the soul of her family, then she'd want to know as well.

Kaoru kept setting the controls, invoking Toji's amazement. "Man, you sure know what you're doing."

Kaoru kept smiling. "I've had much time to learn them during my time of training."

Toji blinked, not understanding. "I thought you've only been piloting as long as I have?"

"I have."

"But—"

"I never said how long I have been training to pilot Evangelion." Kaoru placed the headset on himself. "Okay, Asuka-chan, everything is set. All we need for you to do now is engage your wings after insertion, and try and make contact with the soul of Unit 02.

"If possible as well, try to connect using your positive memories of your mother."

"Understood," came the near mechanical reply.

And soon, it began.

* * *

"Mother, are you in here?" asked Asuka, her wings out, her eyes closed, and her mind reaching out for...something.

Sighing at the fact it hadn't been as easy as she was hoping for, she started trying to reach out with thoughts instead of words. She began playing the memory of what she had experienced when the Angel had knocked her out inside the volcano.

Soon, she came to the part of the memory where her mother wasn't staring at the partially completed Unit 02 or her baby, but at her.

Clamping down, Asuka froze the memory, slowly stripping away the surrounding area, until only she and the woman remained.

Sighing at the amount of mental energy it took to do so, Asuka paused, trying to catch her strength, before looking at the woman. "Are you Unit 02? Are you Kyoko? Are you my mother?"

The figure continued to remain frozen, as if she was a hologram still on pause.

Asuka began to growl. "What's the problem? Am I not good enough to talk to? What, is Fairy Boy the only person you'll talk to?"

The woman remained still, causing Asuka to become more enraged.

"Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu; are you so fucking cowardly that you refuse to speak to your own daughter?" she screamed.

Finally, the frozen figure gave a response: a solitary tear running down its face.

Asuka slowly walked forward, still torn between thinking this was merely a dream and the myriad of feelings she felt at the possibility that it might be real. Finally reaching the woman, Asuka slowly placed her arms around the woman, encircling her in a hug. "M-m-m-mother?"

Her reply was to have the woman slowly encircle her own arms around Asuka, before she spoke, her words broken by the sobs she was making, as Asuka soon felt the tears fall onto her head. "I will always protect you, even if I must be this thing, Asuka-chan."

Asuka slowly looked up, her own teary eyes meeting that of the representation of her mother. "Mama."

And then they were ripped apart.

* * *

Misato stared at the children from across the table. This day was fast becoming one of the weirdest and strangest in her life.

First, Shinji was almost driven insane when Unit 00 tried to kill Commander Ikari again.

She was still shivering when she remembered the almost demonic voice of Unit 00 as it called out to its victim.

Then, she discovered that Asuka was trying to contact the spirit within Unit 02, and forcibly ejected the girl from Unit 02.

Then 02 surprised her yet again that day, moaning in...pain...at the loss of its pilot.

Then of course, Asuka had to be physically restrained, demanding they return her to her mother.

Okay," she said, standing before the children, "one of you tell me exactly what the hell you thought you were doing."

Rei spoke up. "We were attempting to determine if there were human souls inside the Evangelions 00 through 02."

The others nodded in agreement, except for Asuka, who had remained quiet since she was brought in, her arms still in handcuffs from where she had clocked two Section 2 agents who had tried to unsuccessfully restrain her.

Misato tried to not let that response affect her, but it had been on her mind as well.

If true...

She shook her head. No, she couldn't think about that now. It was too horrible to consider. But curiosity hit harder than common sense. "And what did you discover?"

"Mama," muttered Asuka, her eyes taking on a thousand-yard-stare appearance.

Kaoru answered for her, though. "Before the experiment was terminated, we saw several abnormalities within both the entry plug itself and the Evangelion."

Misato knew she was going to have nightmares for asking, but she had to. "What abnormalities."

Toji shivered. "Something...ghostly...formed inside the LCL," he said. "It looked...human."

Mana nodded. "They have human souls, don't they?"

Misato slumped into her chair. "I...I don't know." _But, I'm going to find out._

* * *

Misato stood across from Ritsuko in the hallway, the red light from the sunset inside the Geo-front pouring in through the windows. "Was this somehow related to the earlier time Unit 00 went berserk with Rei inside it?"

Ritsuko sighed. "I can't tell you much now," she said. "Shinji hasn't woken up yet. Until such time, we're setting Unit 00 for Rei's personal data alone. We'll try and hold off running any new synchronization tests between Rei and Unit 00 for as long as we can."

Misato turned away slightly. "Have you been informed of the illegal experiment conducted by the children?"

"Yes," said Ritsuko. "Unit 02 has shown no anomalies since that time."

"As Director of Strategic Operations, I am asking your professional opinion on this subject: do the first three Evangelions have human souls inside them."

Ritsuko lowered her head a bit, her bangs covering her eyes. "I'm not certain. If they are..."

Misato sighed. "We can work on separating them later. Right now we need them all up and running, and we have no idea if we can even acquire and Dummy Soul matrixes to replace them at the moment."

Dropping the military authority, Misato walked over to her friend. "Rits, are you going to be okay?" Misato had no clue how she'd be reacting if she found out the possibility that her parent might still be alive and trapped inside a cybernetic construct.

Ritsuko waved off her concern. "I'll be fine. When Shinji wakes up, we can ask him. He's had more time inside the EVAs than anyone else at the moment."

Misato nodded. "I'm afraid I don't know the right thing to say, so I'll wish you luck in receiving the answer you want." With that, she walked away, her footsteps echoing in the hall.

Ritsuko continued to stare at the floor. "Unit 00 wanted to kill the Commander. I'm sure of that much, at least."

_If it is Mother, then what?_

* * *

Shinji sat in the seat provided for him, the medical LCL washed off, now sitting in a standard hospital gown, as Ritsuko sat across from him.

"Well?" she asked.

Shinji looked up to her, tears forming in his eyes. "She loves you...deeply."

"Is she really Naoko Akagi?"

"I'm not certain is she is or merely believes she is."

"But her feelings, memories..."

"That is what defines us; what we were and what we are."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I...I can't answer it. As of right now, all I can say is that she honestly believes she is Naoko Akagi."

Ritsuko sighed. "And the soul?"

Shinji shook his head. "That sort of answer is beyond my abilities at the moment." He looked at the woman he had grown to call friend...perhaps even family. "Does this affect anything for you if she is?"

"..."

"She loves you, you know."

Seeing her lack of response, Shinji got up from his seat, walking around before her, and placing the woman into an awkward hug.

Ritsuko did the only thing she could do, the only thing she had held back on for so many years: she cried.

* * *

Asuka laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling, remembering the embrace she had felt inside the entry plug.

Her thoughts were in turmoil over what had occurred. Answers seemed fleeting, uncertain.

She wasn't certain if 02 was her mother or simply believed it was such.

Smiling, though, Asuka closed her eyes, trying to go to sleep.

After all, she could dream, that perhaps, her Mother was back.

And this time, the woman would protect her without a sickness mutilating her love.

That night, Asuka didn't have any nightmares.

* * *

Gendo and Kozo sat before a shogi board, playing their game out.

"You know, Ikari," said Kozo as he laid down yet another tile, "it will only be days at best before Shinji tries to discover the truth inside Unit 01."

"Of course," said Gendo.

"Will you tell him anything?"

"It is up to Yui at this point if she does or not. For now, it will be her decision."

"And Naoko and Kyoko?"

Gendo sat back into his chair. "Naoko will still support the First Child, if for nothing else than to protect her own daughter from the Angels. Kyoko's actions have already solidified the Second Child's obedience to the program."

"And should Shinji learn the truth behind Unit 01?"

"Then he will be solidified to the program as well."

Kozo shook his head. _You are playing a very dangerous game, Ikari._ "About the Angel invasion that deviated from the plan; the Instrumentality Commission is applying pressure regarding the facts about the incident.

"All those old fossils can do is bitch and moan. They assume papers from the past can accurately predict the future, totally negating the concepts of free will."

"We hold all the tiles in this matter," said Gendo. "There is nothing they can do for the moment. Our funding from the commercialization ventures has eclipsed the funds they offered us. For the moment, they have no power."

"It isn't wise to irritate them, either. If SEELE continues to try and interfere, there could be more trouble."

"Security has been tightened. They will not succeed in sabotaging us again. Besides, everything so far has been carried out as their scenario requires. There is no problem."

"What about the incident with Unit 00?"

"It will not interfere with their plans at the moment."

"And your own plans?"

"I am not foolish enough to set things that important in stone. Rei was successful in resynchronizing with Unit 00. She has reported no more contact with Naoko."

Kozo looked at him. _He's not even bothered anymore that Naoko wants him dead now, or that Rei might abandon his earlier plans._ "What is the status of the Adam Project?"

"Proceeding without difficulty, it is less than two percent behind schedule, even with the modifications being done to the other EVAs."

"Then the Spear of Longinus is..."

"For the moment, we cannot use it in battle. As such, I have found...another...use for it."

* * *

In a tunnel below Central Dogma, Unit 00 was carrying a long red spear, headed for one particular destination.

If anyone knew what that destination was, as well as why she was taking the spear towards it, they would have been frightened by the smile on her face.


	14. What Steps Remain

**Chapter 14**

**What Steps Remain**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

He had been there for hours, just ... staring.

Shinji now knew what many had hoped he'd never learn; that perhaps was a fact that wasn't even true.

But it was true: the first three Evangelions possessed human souls.

He didn't know how he knew, and when asked, he had told Ritsuko that he wasn't even certain.

But he knew for certain. The memories, the feelings, the actions, mannerisms, ideals, reactions ... they were all human. The souls felt more like his own than that of the JA series of Dummy Souls.

Unit 00 was the shell now housing the soul of Dr. Naoko Akagi.

He had literally held the woman in his arms, as she cried of the injustice of her life, the failure to protect her daughter from her own mistakes.

He didn't know how she came to be in there, but he suspected she would tell him if he all but asked.

And Toji had been kind enough to tell him what had been discovered about Unit 02: it was the shell housing Asuka's dead mother.

Which left one thing: did Shinji know the soul inside Unit 01 before now?

_Talk to me, Reika. Tell me; who are you really?_

But Reika stayed quiet, refused to speak to him.

Did she know who she was? Was she ashamed she hadn't told him? Did she even care?

Shinji shook his head. "Reika," he said, no longer caring to speak only in thoughts, "I will find out who you were sooner or later, and not telling me now will only hurt more in the future when I do discover."

"So, she's staying silent," said Ritsuko, walking up to him along the catwalk.

Shinji nodded. "It's pissing me off to no end. You'd think by now she'd trust me enough to simply tell me."

It was then that he turned to face her. "And how are you handling ... everything?"

Ritsuko sighed, taking off her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I've been better." Looking towards him, she tried to smile. "So, what set my mother off?"

Shinji tried to smile. "It was either when the MAGI named who their creator was, or when I was discussing what Casper tried to do to me."

Ritsuko shook her head, chuckling. "I'd believe the latter over the former. It sounds like Mom to be pissed because her child beat her first."

Shinji chuckled as well. "Should I start calling you my daughter now?"

"Careful or we might need to sedate the MAGI and Mom."

Shinji smiled for a bit, before slowly turning to Unit 01 again. "Do you know ... who she might be?"

Ritsuko nodded. "Maybe, but as much as I want to say, it's not my place. It's her decision alone."

Shinji nodded, before walking away. "I can respect that. Remember, dinner is at seven; bring some desert."

After the door was shut, Ritsuko's smile dropped off her face, as she turned to face Unit 01. "The longer you stay silent about this, the deeper his anger will be. You know this, don't you?"

Unit 01 showed no reaction.

Not that Ritsuko expected one: why should the soul be pleasant with the woman sleeping with her husband.

"Damn it, Yui," growled out Ritsuko, her hands forming fists, her nails biting into the palms of her hands. She might not like the woman, or the fact her husband was still obsessed with her; going so far as to call out the woman's name during the sexual encounters between Gendo and herself, but Ritsuko did consider Shinji a friend.

Never let it be said that Ritsuko Akagi was anything but loyal to those she felt deserving of such, and she felt Shinji deserving of such.

She began to storm off, but not before turning to face Unit 01 again. "Yui, tell him the next time you see him, or he might hate you ... more than even any love left in his heart can ever fix."

As the door closed, Unit 01 finally showed activity.

A single tear escaped the brain case, and slowly fell down into the LCL.

* * *

Sub Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki looked over the first Ashino Lake, formed from the explosion of the N2 blast assault on the Third Angel, remade larger after the explosion of the Ninth Angel.

From their current position in the transport helicopter, he could even see the second lake, formed from the defeat and subsequent explosion of the Seventh Angels.

_Strange to see such evidence of destruction turned into possible things of beauty. It took them only a few weeks to dig the springs to fill the craters with water. Before that, they went over the crater floor to ensure no leakage or any other surprises were left behind. Then as the water levels rise, they plant plants to help bring about a bio-zone, followed eventually by fish and other aquatic wildlife._

_Maybe after this is all over, I'll come out here to fish. It should be ... peaceful._

Of course, that was assuming any of them survived.

He turned to face his former pupil, the man in charge of everything, who now seemed to have no plan or scenario at all anymore.

This confused the elder teacher turned sub commander. Gendo had always been contemptful of Shinji, barely sparing the boy a thought during the time Shinji had been left in the care of others.

Now, it was as if the man expected the boy to save the world.

Strangely, Kozo had no proof that the boy wouldn't do just that.

So, he turned his attention to what he did know. "I hope we won't have to add anymore Ashino Lakes."

Gendo stared straight ahead. "The pilots have begun to take measures to limit damage as best as they can. I do not foresee a new lake anytime soon."

Nodding, Kozo continued. "I received a complaint from Chairman Keel yesterday regarding the delay. He came directly to me. He was very upset. Towards the end, he even threatened to dismiss you."

"Adam is growing well, as far as they are concerned, and the Dummy Plugs for the EVAs are proceeding ahead of schedule, with the data we've collected from the Third Child while he was generating S2 organs inside the EVAs. What are the old men of SEELE complaining about now?" he asked.

Kozo snorted. "The all-important Instrumentality Project is behind schedule." _Not that those bastards care about anything else._

"All the projects are linked, there are no problems. They are merely rattling their sabers, to let us know they are still around."

"Including Rei?" asked Kozo.

Seeing no response was coming, Kozo shifted gears. "No, never mind.

"By the way, what are we to do about that man?" he asked.

"Leave him alone for now," said Gendo. "The same goes for the Marduk Institute."

"I agree, let him work for us for a while."

They sat in silence for a few moments longer, before Kozo breached the last thing he needed to discuss. "And your son?"

Gendo actually moved a bit, signaling to his former teacher that the subject was indeed emotionally involving to the man, but not on which matters is was so. "Leave him be. If he discovers anything, we shall find out soon enough.

"For now, let us prepare for the next Angel."

* * *

Ken Sanada stared as the construction robots busily scurried along in their tasks, as they worked before the still half completed JA Unit 04 and the skeletal outline of JA Unit 05.

It wasn't strange to him as to why NERV HQ now had a battleship built inside the Geo-front. At the time, it was probably hoped that some was would be discovered to render the Angel's AT Field inert, so that such a weapon could be used.

Now, they were doing the same, only on a grander scale. So much so, that they had to install shield generators around the ceiling of the Geo-front, so stray laser shots wouldn't bring the whole thing on top of them.

That was the Angel's job.

Theirs was to stop it.

JA Unit 04 would be what was now called the Goliath Model, which was a near replica of JA-00 through 02. It was to be outfitted with an extra armament harness that carried a total of four high-yield particle laser cannons, each capable of twice what was used against the Fifth Angel, due in part to the fusion generators inside the units. It was even modifiable enough to be used in conjunctions with the EVAs, but would require that the pilot not bring out their wings.

JA-05 was to be another Icarus-type: capable of ground and air assaults, much to Rara's pleasure, as it meant he received a nice bonus for another Icarus to be made.

He had even selected a pilot: Kensuke Aida.

The boy was thrilled to be a pilot, and with the stories told by Mana to Rara, the boy was an easy choice.

That ... and the fact that Rara and the boy seemed to be constantly trying to out-hack each other.

Both units would be finished within two weeks, followed by the Dummy Soul Interface activation.

That idea alone scared Sanada. With the Goliaths, all he needed to do was copy the Kazuki interface over, sync them up, and he was set; the AI-boy would do the rest.

A DSI meant literally creating a life form; one bonded to its pilot. It was only because Trident had reacted so well to Mana that Sanada had even gave his approval for another to be built.

Shaking his head, he tried to clear his thoughts. _If what those children say is true, we'll need to begin to construct three new ones for the first three EVAs._

_Assuming we find a way to get the human souls out first._

Such thoughts turned his stomach, and he nearly lost his control over that when his mind wondered if not only had someone already known this, but had actually planned this out as well.

_I hope that such things never occurred._

Instead, he preferred to think more about the Angels, their reasons for attacking, and Shinji's dreams.

He had to admit, it was plausible.

A first race that evolved in the universe—he decided to call them Gods, since it fit in a way—stretched forth their hands, seeking other life forms, proof they were not alone.

And they found nothing.

So, they set forth to create life, to ensure that the universe sang with it.

Shinji had described what seemed to indicate that the Gods took two distinct paths.

The path of Adam seemed to be based in a collective soul. No matter how many died, the Angels retained the whole of the experience, learning and adapting, becoming more difficult to kill.

The path of Lilith, as Shinji called it, seemed to be based on individuality for the intelligence. If one part was lost, it was lost forever.

These two paths were never meant to be used in the same place, so a default was created; one in which the last to arrive was put into sleep, since a race striving to create new life would not desire to end even what they themselves made.

Of course, on Earth, something awoke Adam, or the default failed.

So now, they had two paths striving for dominance, and only one could survive.

Or would it? Shinji himself seemed to be of both paths. Not only did he remain an individual, but he seemed able to communicate with other souls, as if they were a collective.

A third path? An idea the Gods never conceived of?

Shaking his head while silently chuckling, Sanada moved back towards the pyramid. For now, he had other things to do.

Besides, he had to check up and see if Rara was actually training the boy, or merely goofing off again.

* * *

Kaji looked around the small room in Kyoto, looking at history before him.

"What started here, sixteen years ago?"

Shaking his head, he sighed. The place was an empty barn, not even a sign that cattle of any kind. The only things there beside dust were a desk, a chair, and a phone with its line long since cut.

Seeing the door knob slowly turn after a sound of movement, Kaji drew his pistol, slowly making his way to the open door.

He edged closer to it, only to hear his source finally speak.

What Kaji learned didn't sit too well with him.

* * *

The train ride back to Tokyo-3 was uneventful, which set well with the agent.

Kaji looked outward, cataloging everything he had learned from this trip.

Shannon Bio, a foreign chemical firm, was nothing more than an empty barn in Kyoto; an obvious front. They had been set up there for nine years, and nothing had changed within the "company's" infrastructure.

It was supposed to be one of the one hundred eight companies that made up the Marduk Institute. But so far, one hundred six of those companies were dummy corporations.

Shannon Bio made it one hundred seven.

What more, when he looked at the corporate registration, he learned some more from who was listed on the board of directors.

The charter members held no new names for him. He recognized two as the Commander and Sub Commander for NERV, the others as members of the UN Oversight Committee for NERV.

He had to smile at that. He remembered reading one a while back, that had Shinji Ikari listed as the founding member, when in actuality, the boy was the mere age of seven at the time.

Either Shinji was incredibly smart at such an age, or he was merely another component used to give sustenance to the façade.

Marduk was supposed to be an advisory body controlled by the Instrumentality Committee to select Evangelion pilots.

However, the evidence pointed to something else, but what that else was, wasn't clear.

His source had warned him about deviating from his investigation of NERV to delve into Marduk.

But Kaji was if nothing else, a searcher for the truth.

As his cell phone rang again, he looked to see that the Caller ID was saying it was from Asuka's cell phone.

Shaking his head, he put the phone away. _Sorry, Asuka, but you can't cling to me forever._

* * *

Sighing, Asuka set the phone back in her pocket. She had been hoping that Kaji would be able to tell her more about her mother, and perhaps how she was trapped inside Unit 02.

She refused to believe the line at NERV that said perhaps the souls of the EVAs had merely imprinted from their makers.

It was her Mother, of that Asuka was certain.

During her training, Asuka was spending more and more time within the dream world, simply existing with her mother, the woman seemingly unable to talk more than a few words, before she seemed to stand still, as if she were a video frozen in a single frame.

She stared across the hallway and into the classroom, seeing Shinji cleaning. _Why can he talk to Mother and I can't?_

_What makes him so damn special?_

She had wanted to go out tomorrow, so she could ... ask Shinji ... if he wanted to escort her, using the date as cover to find more information on what she needed to do to communicate with Mother. If they did that, then she could pick his brain, maybe find out why he could run at the mouth with any EVA, just she could only get one or two sentences from her Mother inside Unit 02.

Shaking her head, she resumed sweeping the hallway. But it was hard to put away the thoughts of being reunited with her Mother. This was a woman who Asuka had seen fall into what the doctors at NERV described as a Class 5 contamination breakdown.

Hell, Asuka had found the body when the woman had hung herself ... and the doll she kept referring to as Asuka.

But when the image of her Mother held her inside the dream world of the entry plug, she couldn't help but literally feel the love and affection rolling off the image.

It was a feeling Asuka had yearned for since she was young.

And now that she had it, it was fast becoming a drug; one Asuka didn't know if she could ever walk away from.

Of course, that also meant she would have to risk losing her Mother while piloting EVA. If something happened, and her Mother's soul was released wrong...

Shivering, Asuka resumed her work. No, she couldn't think about that right now.

For the moment, she'd live in the moment, and enjoy the fact that after she finished with her assigned cleaning task, she'd be off to NERV, and off to see Mother again.

"Asuka, are you free tomorrow?"

Turning, she saw her friend Hikari before her. Sighing, she decided to say yes. After all, the staff was beginning to worry about her with all the time she was putting in with sync training, and it wasn't like she hadn't felt her Mother desire her to take a day. "I guess."

Smiling, Hikari went quickly to the girl. "Great, then I have a favor to ask you."

Asuka paled. She remembered conversations like that from girls in college. The favor was always something that ended up being painful for you, and depending on how good your ideas for revenge were, painful for the friend who asked as well.

"Well, it's like this," Hikari said, before leaning in and whispering to Asuka.

Asuka jumped back. "A date?"

Hikari sighed. "A friend of my big sister, Kodama, keeps asking me to introduce you to him. I'm begging here!"

Asuka sighed. _Oh yeah, this will be a **great** date._

* * *

Shinji sparred a minute to look over to Rei, seeing her wring out a rag to wash the floor.

It wasn't so much the fact that Rei was cleaning—she was the only other person in the apartment to help him clean it, though he was slightly disturbed since he remembered how her old one had looked when she moved out—it was more how she was doing it.

It reminded him...

Shaking his head, he looked towards his friends.

Kensuke was happily sweeping the floor, still on an emotional high for being selected to pilot JA-05.

Shinji and Toji had both been bombarded by possible names Kensuke was considering to name his JA when it received the Dummy Soul Interface.

The only bright side was when the otaku had gone to use the restroom. Toji had commented that the JA soul had better be female, because it was probably as close as Kensuke would ever get to the real thing.

Of course, such moments of levity were few since the pilots had discovered what resided inside the first three EVAs: human souls.

Worse, the souls were mothers of people involved in NERV.

For some reason, that made a fear rise from Shinji's mind unbidden. He didn't know what it was attached to, only that whatever it was made him shiver in fright. He dropped his broom, grabbing his head, as the emotions surged once again, threatening to overwhelm him in their intensity. They had no image, nothing attached to them to explain them, as if they were someone else's.

"Shin-man, you okay?"

Opening his eyes, he slowly focused on his fellow pilot. "Just ... just some bad emotions."

Toji nodded, making sure no one else was looking at them as they handed Shinji back his broom. Seeing that for the moment that no attention was directed at them, he mouthed his question. "Unit 01?"

Shinji nodded, taking a deep breath, before resuming his cleaning.

Whatever his connection was to the soul inside Unit 01, it had to be very traumatic. And if it was something he couldn't recall without loosing himself in the tsunami of emotions it triggered...

_Could that be why Reika won't tell me: because I might not be able to handle it?_

* * *

"Microsis operation complete. Graph measurement complete."

As the techs began to list off the completed tests on the five pilots, Ritsuko turned to face Misato. "So, which dress are you wearing tomorrow?"

"For the wedding?" asked Misato. "I wore the pink suit for Kiyome's wedding and the dark blue dress for Kotoko's shower..."

"What about the orange one?" asked Ritsuko, as she adjusted the system. "You haven't worn that one lately, have you?"

Misato giggled nervously. "Well, there's a reason for that."

"It's too tight, isn't it?" said Ritsuko.

Misato growled. "Can't be helped, Shinji's meals are too delicious."

"Right," said Ritsuko, "and I'm certain it has nothing to do with how much beer you drink."

Misato growled. It wasn't like she had the metabolism of Shinji. The boy drank more than she ever did, and he didn't gain an ounce. _Maybe it's an Angel thing._ "Should I get a new one on the way home?

"Damn, that's more money I can't afford."

Ritsuko nodded as she continued to adjust the tests. "We've been invited to so many showers lately, that all the costs of the gifts are starting to add up; even with our improved salaries."

Misato snorted. "Everyone is just rushing to get married before they turn thirty."

"No one wants to be the last one still single, Misato," said Ritsuko. "Even with the EVAs giving us all hope, that hope won't help us feel any less lonely at night."

Seeing that the last of the data was done, she stood up, activating the communication lines to the test plugs. "Okay, you can take off now. Good work."

* * *

As the others began to eject, Shinji continued to keep his eyes shut, his mind slowly working on his issues. _I will have my answer, Reika._

_And this horror inside my head won't stop me._

* * *

"By the way," said Ritsuko, "Shinji's a little out of it today."

"That's because of tomorrow," said Misato.

Ritsuko stood up quickly, nearly sending her sense of balance away. _Damn it, that's right! Yui, you need to tell him now!_ "Yeah, tomorrow."

* * *

Shinji rode with Rei inside the elevator. He had a few free hours before Ritsuko needed to see him about something, so he decided to spend it with Rei.

His mind, though, was just searching for a distraction from his own problems, and thought that perhaps now would be a good time to ask Rei why Naoko hated her so much.

"Rei?"

"Yes, Shinji-kun?"

"Rei, why does Naoko hate you?"

Rei stood there silent for a few moments, trying to decide exactly what she could reveal to Shinji. She knew the truth was out of the question for the moment. If anything, the truth would cause him great levels of emotional harm, and she did not desire that to occur.

It would also lead to other questions she was not certain that she could answer, or that his search for them could lead to his death.

So, she decided to tell him some of the truth, and hoped it was enough. "When I was younger, she was interested in the Commander as a mate. When I informed her of what he thought of her, she turned ... violent."

Shinji nodded. "She hurt you?"

"Yes, it took some time before I recovered."

Sighing, Shinji went to her, drawing the girl into a hug. "I'm sorry you had to endure that, Rei."

Rei nodded, feeling some joy that she had been able to protect Shinji from that much of the truth. "May I ask a question now, Shinji-kun?"

"Sure, Rei," he whispered. He liked holding her like this; it was one of the few things he could do that made him still feel normal.

"Why were you watching me in class while we were performing our cleaning duties?"

Shinji chuckled a bit. "It just came to me. When you were cleaning today, you were squeezing out the cloth. It reminded me of how a mother would do it."

Rei blinked, looking at his face as she backed away a bit from the hug. "A mother?"

Shinji nodded. "At least, I thought it was like a mother. It was how my guardian mother always did it."

As she began to blush, Rei considered his words. _A mother? I act ... like a mother?_

_Before I met Shinji-kun, I was unable to become a mother._

_But now ... I can be a mother._

_Yet, I already act as a mother does in some cases._

_Do I wish to be a mother?_

_Yes, one day I wish to have my own ... family. Perhaps, it will be with Shinji-kun?_

"I think you'd make a great mother, Rei-chan."

Smiling a bit, Rei turned around, hoping to hide the new amount of blush that flooded her face. "You embarrass me, Shinji-kun."

Shinji smiled. _Glad you are starting to believe more in yourself, Rei._

For the moment, she had helped him forget his own problems.

For that, he was grateful.

* * *

"I'm home!" called Misato, walking into the living room, seeing Asuka, Mana, and PenPen watching a soap story.

"What's up?" called Asuka.

Sighing, Misato continued on by them with her bag. "You two better get to bed, it's late. And besides, don't you have a date tomorrow, Asuka."

Mana giggled. "Yes, she won't need much sleep though. She's dating an older man."

Asuka growled. "He's only older by two years." Sitting up quickly, she yelled out towards Misato. "Hey, can you let me use your lavender perfume?"

"Absolutely not," said Misato.

"Gees, cheapskate, not like you're using it."

Mana and PenPen slowly edged away from the girl, who would soon be passing violently away from this world.

"That's not the point!" shouted Misato. "It's not for kids.

"Anyway," Misato said, "what are you doing here Mana?"

"Oh," said the girl in question, "I'm sleeping over, if that's okay."

"Sure," said Misato, "just keep it down with whoever you're sleeping with tonight."

"EEK!" said Mana.

"Pervert," mumbled Asuka. "Like a slumber party, not like what you did in college."

Growling, Misato reentered the room. _You'll get yours, Asuka._ "Is Shinji in his room?"

The girls shook their heads. "He hasn't come home yet," said Mana. "Rei already went so sleep," she said, pointing to the passed out girl on the couch, her face done in such a way with makeup that she looked like a clown.

"This is wrong, you two," said Misato. Seeing them look a bit upset, she smiled. "Ruby red would look much better than pastel pink on Rei's cheekbones."

The door opening drew their attention to a quick blur, which ran into Shinji's room, before shutting the door, a lock bolt being heard.

Misato shook her head, before heading over to the door and knocking. "Shinji, you okay?"

She heard some rustling inside the room, before a crackly voice spoke up. "I ... I just need to be alone, Misato. Please?"

Nodding, she stepped away, shoeing the other girls from the door, including clown-Rei. "Let's let him be. I think he found out something bad today."

* * *

Shinji stood before the grave, a dozen flowers in his hand, his Father standing beside him.

Before them was a simple grave marker, used as the thousands of others around it had been: to mark the passing of someone who died, and nothing was left behind of to bury.

But to them, this marker was special, more so than any of the others around it.

This one had been erected to Yui Ikari: born 1977, died in 2004.

Placing them on the grave, Shinji stared at the marker. He had been here plenty of times before, more than his guardians or his Father had ever known. Whenever he needed to think, to ponder a decision, he came here, believing his Mother's spirit would watch over him and help him find his path.

"How long were you going to wait before you finally told me?" asked Shinji.

"On what issue?"

Shinji slowly turned to face the still standing man, his eyes, shadowed a bit. "That Mom is still inside Unit 01; that Mom is Reika?"

Gendo took off his sunglasses, cleaning them. "I would have assumed you would have remembered the incident, when you learned of the other souls inside Units 00 and 02."

Shinji slowly turned back to the marker. _God, how I wish I didn't!_

* * *

_**Flashback: last night, bay holding Evangelion Unit 01...**_

"You wanted to see me, Doc?" said Shinji, walking towards the woman who called him.

Ritsuko nodded, before turning to face Unit 01. "Tomorrow is the day you visit your Mother's grave marker, correct?"

Shinji nodded, wondering what she was going for here.

Nodding once again, Ritsuko removed her glasses, before focusing her stare onto Unit 01. "Last chance; tell Shinji who you are, or I'll do it right now."

Shinji gasped at seeing this, wondering what could be so important that Ritsuko would break her desire to let Reika tell him herself.

Unit 01's eyes lit up, a small growl could be heard from deep within.

Ritsuko stood her ground. "No, there is no more time. He will learn of who you are now! So, you have ten seconds to either tell him, or I will."

"Reika?" he asked, as the head of the behemoth turned towards him, the lit eyes changing slightly, as if in pain.

"**Shinji, please forgive me for not telling you earlier. I was afraid. When you last saw me, you were young, and scared. I didn't want those memories to start haunting you again."**

Shinji took a step back. _You know what's causing those panic attacks?_

"**Yes, I do. You see, the first time you saw this shell was not during the attack of the Third Angel, but when I was absorbed inside it, ten years ago. It was your birthday ..."**

Whatever else she may have said never made it to his ears, as his hands clasped his head, as he sunk to his knees, his eyes wide, his breath rapid, as memories long buried returned with a vengeance.

His Mother inside a tube...

Her screams...

Her hand resting on the screen, his reciprocating, his tiny eyes letting tears loose at an incredible pace...

Her calling his name, right before the feed died...

His Father's screams for help...

Soon, he collapsed to the ground, feeling the emotions, the childhood trauma rear itself into his mind again, feelings of helplessness asserting themselves beyond all his control...

He was so far into his own mind, he never felt Ritsuko embrace him, hugging him to her chest as he began to cry, his tears not stopping, his cries no longer producing any sound.

The woman turned to face the EVA, seeing that the light was gone from its eyes. _You ran away from him again, didn't you, Yui?_

* * *

Shinji shivered a bit. Ritsuko had held him until he stopped crying, until he was slowly able to cope with the emotions the retrieved memory had cursed him with. "Yeah, like I had a caring father to explain things to me."

"You were weak, and unable to come to terms with it."

Shinji turned to face him again, his voice dripping with venom. "I was fucking four years old. It was your job to help me. Stop blaming me for the fact that you sucked as a father."

"What has been done cannot be changed."

"But you can explain your fucking reasons, old man," growled Shinji. "Why the hell couldn't you be a father."

Gendo sighed, looking at the grave that even he himself had been able to trick his mind into believing was real. "Yui was my world. When she was absorbed, my world only had one purpose: to get her back."

"And I was just a problem in the way of that."

"Yes," said Gendo, no hint of emotion in his voice. "To defeat the Angels, I could have nothing standing in my way. The EVAs were constructed for that sole purpose, and until they Angels are destroyed, we cannot stop and try and remove the souls inside them."

He was soon sent sprawling into the dirt, courtesy of Shinji's fist.

"Listen up, you old fuck!" screamed Shinji, as the sounds of Gendo's transport grew in the distance. "If you didn't have time to be a father, you should have never became one. You dumped me when I couldn't be of use, and I will find out why you picked Rei instead.

"But know this, I will ... never ... forgive ... you for what you did!"

With that, Shinji took off into the sky, his wings flapping into the breeze.

Gendo stayed on the ground, even as the VTOL transport landed, and Section 2 agents ran out to help him.

Even as he was helped up, his face never changed.

Inside, he was nearly ecstatic. Now, Shinji wouldn't stop until the Angels were defeated, and his Mother was returned to human flesh.

Yes, today was a very good day.

* * *

When Asuka came home from her date, she was in a foul mood.

It wasn't that Hikari had set her up for a fall. No, it was the fact the guy wouldn't leave her damn wings alone.

All he did was pet them all the time they were at the amusement park, saying his birds liked it.

He even joked and asked if she was going to lay an egg soon.

So, she left him standing in line for a roller coaster.

So, she was surprised when she entered the apartment, and saw and heard Shinji on the balcony, playing a flute.

She wanted to talk to him about her own problems, about perhaps learning to speak with her Mother.

If it required her to swallow her pride, she'd do it in a heartbeat to know the woman again.

But the flute music drew her in, causing her to lean against the wall, and let the notes talk to her. The music was beautiful by even her high standards, and she was more a woman of current tastes than classical.

But the musical melody played with her thoughts, creating a dream montage that drew her in, the music seeming to generate the very thoughts she heard and felt.

And when it stopped, her eyes slowly opened, seeing the very man she had sought before her, looking worriedly at her. "Asuka, you okay?"

"Um ... what happened?" she asked, seeing that by the clock on the wall, almost an hour had passed since her return.

"You spaced out there for a bit, I was starting to get worried about you."

Taking a deep breath, Asuka tried to focus herself. "I was just lost listening to you play."

Shinji lowered his eyes as he began to put his flute away. Such things had been happening more and more since people began to ascend. It was if sometimes the music was literally messing with their minds.

His playing had caused Misato to stop drinking, swaying to the music as if she was a dancer.

It had caused Rei to sway from side to side, her eyes unfocused on anything but the melody.

Mana and Naru both acted the same, swaying as if enchanted.

PenPen seemed to flutter around the room as Shinji played.

He had no idea how anyone else would react, that was why he had been alone when he played now; only playing on the balcony since the apartment was getting stuffy. "Sorry, it seems to do that more and more lately."

"That's okay, it was ... enjoyable," said Asuka.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you something?"

Shinji blinked. The Great Asuka Langley Soryu needed him to do something, and was **asking** for help? "O ... kay."

"I want you to teach me ... how to talk to my Mother."

Shinji held his own emotions in check, knowing not only how much pride the girl had had to swallow to ask that, but how much it obviously meant to her. "Okay, I'll try."

* * *

"We haven't gotten together to drink lately, have we?" asked Kaji.

They were currently inside a bar within the Geo-front, relaxing after the wedding of their respective friends. Overall it had been boring, and in the end; it was only another needless reminder of the state of their own social lives.

Misato had just left the bar to use the bathroom, her bladder having finally reached its fill of alcohol, leaving Kaji to talk with Ritsuko.

Ritsuko shook her head. "Between the Angels and all the upgrades and construction, we're lucky to have the time to meet at work." Looking over to him a bit, the volume of her voice dropped a bit. "Misato's drinking too much again, isn't she? She's starting to act out of control again."

"Perhaps, but so are you?"

Ritsuko sighed. "I've had a lot more on my mind then I wanted."

Kaji nodded. "You care for the Third Child."

Ritsuko smiled stirring her drink. "You know, if he was about ten years older or I was sixteen years younger, I'd give it a shot.

"But for now, I'll play the part of the big sister, and help him heal as best as I can."

Kaji nodded. "A noble goal. Who knows what might happen in four years though."

Ritsuko laughed. "In four years, he'll most likely be with one of the female pilots ... or if you hang around him too much, probably fathering children with all of them."

"You wound me," said Kaji, pausing with his drink. "Alas, I have eyes for one girl, and would give my heart should she all but ask."

He motioned to the bartender to refill his glass. "Besides, sometimes one drinks to keep oneself under control."

He stared into his glass. "I suppose we all do, perhaps even Shinji does."

Ritsuko nodded. "As someone who lived with Misato, I suppose your words do have some truth."

"I did live with her, but that was before she started wearing heels like a real woman."

Ritsuko rubbed her neck, feeling the strain starting to get to her. "You know, Kaji, you are a horrible liar about matters of the heart."

"How so?" he asked, appearing innocent.

"We all knew what it appeared to be back then when you two lived together, and how it really was."

"I was a kid then, and in the end, it wasn't real life. It was just kid's play; two people playing house."

"More like Doctor," mumbled Ritsuko.

"I'm back!" came Misato's voice, now more cheerful than when she left. "Ritsuko, you're not trying to bed this pervert, are you?"

"Sorry but no, Misato," smiled Ritsuko. She had been hoping to have more time to warn Kaji about digging too deep into NERV. Truthful, she did like the guy enough to do that, and she knew what would happen to him if he dug too deep; or to Misato when Kaji was reported dead.

_I'll just have to warn him in the morning when he comes in to flirt with Maya._ "Well, I've got to be leaving now," she said, grabbing her purse. "I've still got some work to finish before I head home."

"Really?" asked Misato.

"Yes, Misato," said Ritsuko smiling. "Later."

And like that, the two bar flies were left all alone.

* * *

"_**Hey, Shinji! I'm with Kaji, and we're going to head out drinking! Don't stay up too late in whatever debauchery you're doing, and make certain the girls don't get pregnant!"**_

Shinji sighed as the answering machine clicked off. _Why does everyone think I'm a pervert?_

He returned to the living room, where Asuka was sitting with Rei, the latter having arrived as Shinji had begun his lesson. As she also wished to learn, she sat in, promising to not interfere, while Shinji promised Asuka not to reveal who had started this session.

"I still can't believe it's that simple," said Asuka.

"I am afraid I must concur," said Rei, slightly surprised herself that she and Asuka were agreeing on anything.

Shinji handed them their drinks and sat back down, a bottle of his high-test alcohol in hand. "It's true, belief is what holds you back.

"When I first had my wings, I had the hardest time believing I could fly, considering I wasn't built anywhere close to a bird. But I never gave up, and eventually I was flying around.

"The truth of the matter is that what limits you the most with these ascended abilities is your own doubts and limitations that are self-imposed."

Rei nodded. "Like the AT Field of an EVA; we are limited to its applications by our own imaginations."

Shinji nodded. "Correct. Did any of you ever wonder if you could curve the field like we needed to for Sahaquiel?" Seeing them shake their heads, he continued. "An AT Field can take on any form. Our abilities are limited by our own preconceptions.

"That's why I demonstrate these things so much. Without proof that it can be done, most people are hard pressed to ever change preconceived notions."

"And this goes for talking to EVAs?" asked Asuka.

He nodded. "My whole life since I left here when I was four, I never once tried to ever limit myself. As far I as forced myself to believe, I had no limits to what I could do."

Asuka smiled. "So does this mean you can do that stuff in Japanese Anime: shoot columns of energy, transport yourself with a thought, turning into an all-purpose android catgirl?"

Shinji smiled as well. "Maybe? Never know. I just don't feel the need to test that out."

"I would prefer if you did not become any type of catgirl, Shinji-kun," said Rei.

"So then the reason we can't communicate with our EVAs like you can ..."

Shinji nodded as he answered. "It is because a part of you still refuses to believe it's true."

"Then how do we overcome that, Shinji-kun?" asked Rei. While she didn't particularly care if she talked with Naoko Akagi—considering what happened the last time the two met as humans—she did wish to have such an ability.

Smiling, Shinji closed his eyes, slowly opening them as Asuka gasped.

His eyes were completely white, glowing slightly as if some power had started to awaken.

"_Simple,"_ he said, but his lips never moved, the voice being heard in their heads, _"I just have to show you it can be done._

"_Welcome to the world of thoughts."_

* * *

After Misato left an ... offering of alcohol and her slightly digested wedding cake ... to the Gods of the alley between a corner drug store and a Laundromat, Kaji placed her on his back, carrying her piggyback style, as they walked towards her apartment.

He didn't have a car, and didn't want people to see her like this, because he knew that was what she'd want.

She had no idea where her car was.

"Drinking so much and throwing up like a kid. How old are you?" asked Kaji as he walked along the highway carrying her.

"I know, but I'm not a kid," she mumbled. "And a woman never reveals her age."

"Well, I guess neither of us are kids."

"Damn right," she muttered. "My back itches."

Kaji smiled, enjoying Misato at her most honest and unabbreviated. "Damn, Katsuragi, I can't believe you're wearing high heels. Time's really flown."

"I didn't know you were a foot guy," she mumbled. "Besides, you still need to shave. Don't you own a razor?"

"Perhaps," was all he said, as Misato began to fidget more.

"I can walk on my own now, thank you," she said, her head beginning to clear somewhat.

So, they resumed a slow pace along the highway, Misato walking in front of him, her heels in her hands. "Kaji, do you think I've changed?"

He smiled. "You're even more beautiful than when I first met you."

She didn't respond to his compliment, her mind now on a tandem. "I'm sorry that I insisted on breaking up with you," she said. "When I said I had somebody else ... you knew I was lying, didn't you?"

Kaji nodded, finding the stars a preferable sight compared to Misato being sad. "I wanted to believe it, but a part of me wanted to believe you were lying, yes. Your heart seemed more into the breakup than a reason for it."

"It was just that I realized how much like my late father you were." She turned to face him, finding he was now looking at her with those open and accepting eyes again. "When I realized that I wanted a man just like him, it terrified me. I was so afraid.

"Being with you, Kaji, being a woman ... everything scared me.

"I hated my father, but I ended up falling in love with someone just like him."

Kaji stayed quiet. He would be lying if he told anyone that her words meant nothing to him. Those had been words he had wanted to hear from her since college.

She loved him. Part of him wanted to jump for joy, and propose to her there and then.

But then another part remembered how that had went the last time, so he stayed quiet, and waited for her to open herself to him more.

"I chose to break everything off and join NERV.

"However, it turned out that my father had worked for NERV, too. I tried to bury my feelings by swearing vengeance against the Angels, and I end up living with them."

Taking a deep breath, she stopped walking, flexing her back muscles a bit to try and relieve the itch.

Kaji sighed. "That was your decision, Misato. You don't have to be ashamed of that."

"No!" she screamed. "That wasn't my decision! I just escaped from reality, escaped from everything and anything related to my Father.

"Even Shinji's better than me!" she screamed. "He doesn't run away from his past, he doesn't back down, he doesn't let the shadow of his father hold him back!

"I'm ... I'm a coward," she cried out.

Sniffling, she looked up to him. "I'm sorry that I was so weak, I had to get drunk just to tell you this," she said.

"That's enough," he said.

"I'm still just a child, aren't I?' she asked, not paying attention to him. "I have no right to tell anyone anything about how to live."

"That's enough," he said with a little more force.

But once again, Misato ignored him. "I'm a coward! I just use men when I need to! In the past, Kaji, I have just ... just used you as well! I'm so pathetic!"

"Stop it!" he yelled, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"I'm so pathetic, I can't stand myself!"

He silenced her, by placing his mouth on hers, kissing her.

At first, Misato was stunned, as he held her, the kiss igniting her feelings for him once again, as she slowly dropped her shoes to the ground, before raising her arms to hold him as well.

So into it, she never heard or felt anything as the back of her top ripped, and two wings emerged; white wings with black tipped feathers.

Finally, her mind could take no more, and decided to shut down for the night.

Kaji caught her before she collapsed to the ground, sighing as he held her close. "Damn it, Misato, you aren't the coward, I am.

"If I wasn't a coward, I wouldn't have let you go all those years ago."

Shaking his head, he picked her up once again, setting her on his back, and grabbing her shoes, as he once again began his trek to her home. "It's so sad when angels cry."

* * *

Shinji slowly shut the door to Asuka's room, having placed both of the girls inside it. He didn't feel like leaving Rei alone, as she always seemed to prefer sleeping next to someone, afraid to be alone anymore.

He had to agree with that. He still had no idea how long she had lived alone, she didn't confide much about that to him.

But he had felt it when he was teaching them to speak within their minds, use telepathy. Her loneliness surged towards him, as if the telepathy ensured she'd never be alone, a drowning woman getting tossed a life preserver.

_But the important thing is that Asuka can soon speak to her Mother like I—_

His thoughts froze on that. His Mother. That was who was within Unit 01, and he had been there when the huge purple mecha had absorbed her.

And all this time, he was speaking to her.

And she had kept quiet, for fear of awakening those memories.

"Not sleeping tonight," he muttered, rubbing his forehead. If he didn't deal with these issues now, his dreams would be nothing but nightmares.

Hearing the door open, he saw Kaji helping Misato stumble in ... and Misato had wings. "So," Shinji said, "she ascended."

Kaji nodded. "Hey, I thought you could hold liquor as an Angel."

Shinji nodded. "We can, but she most likely ascended while drunk. That's bound to have messed up the metabolism a bit. She should be fine after she sleeps it off," he said, as he opened the door to Misato's room for Kaji. "Just put her to bed on her stomach. The wings take a while to get used to sleeping with."

Nodding, Kaji did so; only after leaving the room did he realize something. "Where's Asuka?"

Shinji smiled. "She and Rei went to sleep after I finished their lessons."

Nodding, the man made his way towards the door, before turning to face Shinji. "Can you make certain Misato will get better, if anything ever happened to me?"

Shinji blinked, wondering what could possibly be happening around this man that would make his life more dangerous than Shinji's. "You have my word I will do all I can to help her."

Nodding, Kaji left the apartment, as Shinji locked the door.

"Man, I always seem to be caring for people."

* * *

Kaji breathed easy as he walked off the elevator, his burden lighter as he made his way to his home to sleep.

As he paused a bit, he could have sworn he heard a flute playing in the background, but dismissed it.

The melody was too perfect to be real.

* * *

Shinji looked up from his terminal, as the teacher was asking about Rei.

Truthfully, her absence was expected, but he also had no reason as for why.

Rei was being cryptic, saying it was a duty she needed to perform.

_How many secrets must she keep from me?_

Shaking his head, Shinji resumed his studies on the computer, finding whatever the Internet had available more interesting than the teacher who seemed perpetually stuck in how life was before Second Impact.

But his mind kept falling back to one thing: what was Rei doing that she couldn't tell him about?

* * *

Deep within NERV, in the deepest bowels, under tons of wires, conduits, and sensors, a tub on LCL stood in the center of a room.

This tube was the main chamber for collecting neural pattern data to be used within the Dummy Plug program constructs, as well as the saved memory core for data in another component for the Dummy Plug system, made necessary by Naoko's attack on Rei when she was four.

Gendo stared as Rei floated inside, her mind already doing what needed to be done.

He smiled as she opened her eyes, staring at him, most likely noticing the huge bruise on his face.

Rei stared for a bit, before closing her eyes once again, making Gendo turn away.

Normally, Rei would smile at him.

He had no idea that yesterday while Shinji had felt her loneliness, she had felt his hatred for Gendo.

She would never smile for Gendo Ikari again.

* * *

Kaji cursed to himself again, as yet another entry code into the LCL Plant failed to open the door to the main circulation room. He had learned that something important was being kept there, and was determined to find it out.

So intent on finding out, that he was surprised when he felt and heard a gun cock against his head, as he prepared to swipe the card and enter.

Of course, he knew who it was, as anyone else but they would have simply killed him by now. "I see Shinji was right. How do the wings feel, Katsuragi?"

"They don't itch," she said, not moving a bit. "And the ascending sobered me up fairly quickly. I didn't even have a hangover."

"I'm glad to hear it, even if you don't believe me."

"Is this your real job, Kaji, or is this your other job?"

"I didn't help the saboteurs if that's what you're asking," he said. "But you already know that."

"Kaji Ryoji, member of NERV's Special inspection Department, and at the same time, member of the Japanese Department of the Interior."

"So you know?" he stated. "Well, my family did believe I had what it took to be a bureaucrat."

"You underestimate what NERV can find out."

"Is this an order from Commander Ikari?" he asked.

"No, this is my sole discretion. I'm telling you point blank, if you keep up your other job, you will die."

"The Commander is using me as well, Misato. As long as he does, I can still do both.

"First though, let me apologize for using you, Major Katsuragi."

"It'll make us even for your help yesterday."

"Thank you, Misato. But ... the Commander and Ritsuko are still hiding something from you, too, and this is it!" he said, swiping the card, and causing the large doors to open.

As it revealed what was inside, Misato paled, as the waves of emotion came pouring over her.

Inside, a figure was literally nailed to an oversized red cross, the mammoth creature missing it's lower body, its hands nailed to the bars by large spikes, a two pronged spear embedded in its chest, as its masked head leaned to the side. A red fluid could be seen dripping from the wounds, down the cross, and into the large lake that smelled of LCL.

Misato stared, her mind trying to grasp the concept of what she was seeing. It wasn't an EVA.

Her mind began to panic, as an image of Adam entered her mind.

But that image was shattered, as she saw the eyes carved into the mask it wore.

She dropped her gun, falling onto her rear, as she stared at it. The words she whispered out nearly forcing Kaji to do the same thing, as it too shattered what he believed the creature was he had found.

"Lilith," Misato said.

Before them, nailed to the wall, and supplying LCL, was the literal Mother of Humanity.

Kaji slowly turned to face the Second Angel, the Seed of the Black Moon, and wondered perhaps for the first time, if anyone truly knew what was going on here.

* * *

"SHINJI!" screamed several of his classmates, as he fell to the ground, pain lancing his body, his eyes wide.

**I see you, Bastard of Adam!**


	15. Paths Unseen

**Chapter 15**

**Paths Unseen**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

**Author note:** This chapter will begin a massive divergence from the Evangelion timeline.

* * *

Mana stared at the body of her friend and possible love interest; Shinji Ikari, as he rested at the infirmary at NERV.

She'd never forget the experience of a few hours before, watching as said boy writhed in agony, screaming beyond anything in her wildest nightmares. She had been one of a few who could touch him and not fall down screaming as he had been, before passing out.

They had been lucky, Shinji didn't pass out. It was minutes later before he stopped. Any ascended person who touched him seemed to experience the same amount of pain. Though Rei had held out longer than anyone else, even Mana could never forget the haunted look in the girl's eyes before blissful unconsciousness claimed her. Only a non-ascended person could touch him without pain, and it hurt her that all she could do was hold him, as he suffered.

Which brought them to now: NERV having sent a retrieval team to bring them all in, they now filled the trauma ward, as Ritsuko and the other medical staff were literally pouring over the tests to determine what had occurred.

It was Maya who had pointed out one frightening possibility: the attack had been solely centered on Shinji; the others were casualties of war.

"How is he?"

Mana turned, seeing Misato at the door, her wings still out, as the woman had yet to even bother trying to learn the ability to withdraw them. But considering they were barely a day old, that could be understood. "He's still out cold, but they say the pain's gone. They think the others will wake up soon."

Misato nodded, trying not to freak out at what her day had been like so far. In the last twenty-four hours, she had ascended, professed that she still carried a torch for her old college love, discovered said love was a spy, seen the Second Angel inside NERV and hidden, and found all of her charges rendered out cold by some attack.

It was made worse when Kaji had mentioned that it coincided with the very moment they opened the door, which was soon followed by his silent promise never to open it again.

He may seek out the truth, but only at his own risk, and never at the risk of an innocent.

"And Shinji?" asked Misato.

Mana shook her head. "They think he'll be up soon, but Ritsuko isn't certain."

While Mana liked the doctor due to her nature—which seemed off to many of the other staff members that she had talked to upon her arrival, but not that she cared—the woman seemed almost as fearful as Mana about Shinji's state.

_It wasn't like she wanted him like a boyfriend or something. It reminded me of how Dr. Rara acted when I got injured inside Trident._

_Family?_

_Yeah, that's how it looked. Dr. Akagi sees him as ... family._

Misato nodded, before closing the door, and letting the JA pilot get back to watching over Shinji.

* * *

"Kaji," Misato growled, once they were in a place that they felt secure in, "did you have any idea that that could have happened to Shinji; and no bullshit responses, I want straight talk."

Kaji sighed, before lighting a cigarette. "To be honest, Misato, I'm as surprised at what we found as you were."

"Like hell," she growled. "You knew that ... **that** ... was in there."

Kaji shook his head. "I believed NERV was holding Adam, not Lilith, within that room. However, it does explain why the Angels attacked Tokyo-3 before my arrival."

Misato blinked. _His arrival? Why would that..._ "Did you bring it here?"

He nodded, holding his cigarette away from his face. "I brought Adam, but the Angels first came here to find Lilith. Do you know why?"

"I'd figured that was obvious," spat Misato, "to kill her."

"True, but they attacked the convoy with Unit 02, looking for something. Is Adam too weak for them to pick up, or is the call from both the same?"

"What call?" Misato asked.

"It is a theory, Katsuragi," said Kaji. "The theory is that the first two Angels can call to their children.

"Perhaps, if the call is the same, then they come here seeking Adam, and fall into Lilith's trap."

Misato was aghast. "Are you saying that that fucking Angel is helping us?"

"Is it so hard to believe after Shinji told us that dream?" he asked. "We are in fact her children, so why would she want us to die?"

"She attacked Shinji!"

"True, but Shinji is a mixture of herself and her enemy, and it would appear that Lilith does not like a hybrid."

"Great," said Misato, "we've got a racist Angel in our basement."

Kaji nodded. "They must have been intentionally made that way, ensuring that the two possible paths of evolution never crossed. So if Shinji really is making such a path..."

"Then Lilith would center her attacks on him, the rest of us are inconsequential." Misato shook her head. "This war is no longer a simple us versus them."

"It never was, Katsuragi. But, I will continue to try and define exactly what it is."

Misato nodded, heading out to the hall, and going to check on her charges. _Great, we have a stupid and racist Angel playing a Siren's song that brings Adam's brood to our doorstep, and if the safeguards on her room are dropped for even a bit, she'll attack any ascended, with priority on Shinji._

_Damn, I need a vacation._

* * *

As the two left the room, they never noticed as a small grey haired boy step out of the shadows, pondering what he heard.

_So, it appears the All Mother has been using the lilim as her pawns, much like the dear Commander. What's more, the old bat is attacking my friends._

Kaoru blinked. _Old bat? I have been spending too much time with the First Child, it would appear._

Unlike the others though, Kaoru would know better than where he had been told to find Adam if and when the time of his hearing the Call came.

Not that such news would reach his superiors within SEELE. He was more trusting of Shinji's vision for the future than that of self-important snobs. As such, Kaoru would help Shinji create the world the Third Child seemed to be doing on his own.

That included even facing the Third Child in battle.

* * *

Shinji just laid in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. Ritsuko had been in earlier, giving him a clean bill of health, but wanting him to remain for the night to ensure nothing new popped up.

Shinji, however, felt emotions he longed to never feel again: helplessness, fear, hatred, anger, powerlessness.

"I feel weak."

Lilith's attack had nearly broken him, before it seemed to cut off. He could hear them—the EVAs—screaming at him, trying to help him, give him something ... anything ... to focus on besides the pain.

And when the pain stopped... "Mother..." he whispered to no one.

He had felt her, almost as if her embrace was comforting his soul. He could feel them all: Naoko, Kyoko, Azrael, Hoshoni, Trident... He could feel them all with him, trying to help him.

But it didn't matter; the damage had already been done.

"I feel weak."

Shinji had already been violated.

* * *

Kaoru sat on the floor by the door, staring at the bed in which Shinji now laid in, observing as he had for the last few hours when he had arrived at the residence of the Third Child.

The Fifth Child was intrigued. He had always seen the Third Child as a strong person, with high ideals and the will and strength to carry them out.

But to see him like this: weak, small, afraid, they seemed wrong to be expressed by Shinji, in Kaoru's opinion. "Shinji-kun, I do believe you need to attempt to move past this experience."

It had been the first words he had spoken to the boy since his arrival, and Kaoru was pleased to see that Shinji responded to them.

Turning over, having been facing the wall rather than his guest, Shinji stared into Kaoru's eyes; sad and broken meeting optimistic and cheerful. "Kaoru, that bitch took away the safety of the last refuge of any person; their mind."

"Then why do you not seek her out and eliminate her?" he asked. "Surely, she is an enemy to your survival."

"She is," Shinji said. "But, unless I have a way to ascend everyone on the planet, Lilith has to live."

"Why?"

"Because if she goes, humanity goes with her."

Kaoru blinked. Lilith still had ties to her descendants? He knew it was partially true. When Adam awoke, he disrupted Lilith's hold on the planet, and the birth rate had been declining since. "How so?"

"If Lilith is destroyed, humanity will slowly die out. She's already dying. If she doesn't undo what Adam did, they'll both die."

Kaoru didn't like the sound of that. He knew that Adam had pushed much of his energy into starting Second Impact, suffering severely when the process was halted. It was most likely the main reason he had reverted to a larval state, instead of the belief of SEELE that they had forced him to using the Lance. When the process had been interrupted by SEELE's bungled attempt to regain control, they had caused the Genesis Process to turn inward, and Adam had been forced to regress to save his existence.

Not that Kaoru minded. It had given him plenty of time to observe the lilim. Of course, Shinji's statement also gave him pause. It meant just like Lilith; if Adam was destroyed, he would slowly die out as well.

Unless of course... "You plan to ascend all of humanity so that the Angels are no longer required."

Shinji nodded. "That was my plan after I figured out more of the dreams. If the Angels go, we die, because we haven't reached the point in our derived evolution to no longer be affected. I think it was a process to control the amount of seeds the Gods placed out there. Wait for the species to evolve past the need of your assistance, and then have the seed leave and move onward."

"But you say Lilith has been on this world for billions of years. That would indicate a very slow process."

Shinji shrugged. "Maybe Adam's arrival slowed things down, maybe the red light drew more energy to stop him than was planned, and she had to go slower than expected."

Kaoru nodded. Since learning that perhaps the dogma that SEELE had been spouting for years to him was perhaps nothing more than old men with dreams of miracles, he trusted nothing about what he thought he knew, more in what might actually be.

"So then, Shinji-kun, why do you let her defeat you still?"

Shinji sighed, before closing his eyes. "It takes a while to bounce back from something like what happened to me, Kaoru," said Shinji. _If you can._

"How is this attack any different from what has occurred during our battles inside the Evangelions?"

Shinji blinked. _I've forgotten that he's like Rei; he doesn't understand a lot of the stuff I take for granted as common knowledge._ "Kaoru, everyone has a special place within them, a place where they feel safe, a place that their minds build outward upon to feel safe in this world.

"Lilith went into my place and ripped it apart."

Kaoru nodded. "You now feel vulnerable?"

Shinji nodded.

"And you currently feel unable to rebuild your 'safe place'?"

Shinji nodded again.

"May I be of any assistance?"

Shinji smiled. "Mind if we talk for a bit?"

Kaoru smiled. "I would be honored."

* * *

Kensuke was almost hopping about the cabin of his Icarus-class Jet Alone. Today was the day that the Artificial Soul Interface would be added, giving the unit a mind literally of its own, and begin the bonding process with its pilot.

"Yes! I'm a pilot! I'm ... a ... pilot!"

"Sir," said one of the men in the control room, "he's doing it again."

Rara sighed. "Well, we can't expect them to all be as well mannered as Mana."

"Pilot Aida," called Rara over the intercom.

Kensuke immediately stopped, activating the communications window, and trying to appear as professional as possible. "Yes sir?"

"If you keep acting like that, we'll replace you with Pilot Suzuhara's girlfriend."

"Eep."

"Now," said Rara, "begin the infusion of the Interface."

Kensuke sat back, letting his mind open as Mana had been teaching him. He knew he should have had more time to prepare, but they were running short, and they had no idea when the next Angel would appear. Sure, they had shields, but they were assuming the shields would stop an Angel.

So, he opened his mind as he had been taught, trying to sense the approach of the Artificial Soul as it latched onto the core of the JA.

_Hello? Are you here?_

His mind kept repeating those questions, his focus on aligning himself with the neo-soul inside his machine, trying to form a bond like the one Mana had with Trident. He had no idea what this bond was like, or how it might change when he ascended, but he was not going to let those fears stop him from living his dream.

"**Hello?"**

Kensuke blinked. _That was easy._

_Hello, my name is Kensuke Aida, and I'm your pilot._

"**Okay, but ... what's a pilot?"**

Kensuke blinked. _Okay, maybe this isn't easy._

* * *

Rara smiled as he watched the life signs of the pilot, enjoying what they were showing him.

Normally, someone who taught the Artificial Soul would be well versed, and even be trained in bonding experiences to further facilitate the bond.

Of course, it had initially been thought that females were better suited for the task, due to the mothering nature within them.

Of course, Kensuke had no so nature ... at least; Dr. Rara didn't think he did.

But JA-04 and 05 wouldn't be ready for another few weeks, so they had the time.

So, the good doctor decided to watch the bane of his existence squirm under the pressure he seemed to oh-so crave.

* * *

It was a relatively peaceful and quiet day within Tokyo-3; not a cloud in the sky, temperatures were mild considering the endless summer, and people were out enjoying the day.

Of course, what ruined the day by popping up into the sky was far worse than rain.

* * *

"**Five minutes until the evacuation of the Western District is complete."**

"**Target is advancing slowly at two-point-five kilometers per hour."**

"You're late," said Sanada, as Misato ran onto the bridge.

"I'm sorry," said Misato. "What's going on? Why didn't the observation center in Fuji—"

"It didn't detect it," said Shigeru. "It just appeared directly above us."

"Damn bastard's too close," said Rara. "We can't even activate the shields; it's already within the perimeter.

"The JAs?" asked Misato.

Sanada shook his head. "They can't get a lock on it. Every time they try, the scanners drift or say nothing is there to target. It's like the damn thing's an illusion."

"It's worse," said Makoto. "The pattern is Orange, and we're not detecting an AT Field!"

"What is it then?" asked Misato.

"A new type of Angel," said Ritsuko. "And I doubt this one will roll over easy and die for us."

"The MAGI are withholding their judgment," said Maya.

_Of course,_ thought Ritsuko, _I doubt Mom's ever come across something like this._

"Damn," said Misato. "A situation like this and Commander Ikari isn't here again."

* * *

As the Angel passed, Unit 01 peered at it through the alley between two skyscrapers. "It feels weird, Misato, but the damn thing is an Angel."

Unit 03's pilot could be heard laughing. "I have the sudden urge to play volleyball."

"_Can you all hear me?"_ asked Misato. _"I've literally sent you all the target data. This is literally all we know right now. I want you to approach it carefully and observe its reactions. If possible, lure it outside the city so we can snap the shield into place. Backup each other and watch out."_

"Great," said Mana, Trident flying in a fixed position with its main gun focused on the sphere. "So, all we know is that it's an Angel because Shinji-kun says so, and that it seems to reflect all attempts to lock on it."

Kaoru nodded. "That would seem so. This one appears to be most perplexing."

"We'll still kill it," said Asuka. "Mother said we could."

Shinji nodded; glad to see the Second Child bouncing back from her discovery, but not to the levels of infuriating self-conceit she had shown before. "It is more than just reflecting the scans," said Shinji. "I can't get a lock on where its core is."

"That's not good," said Toji.

"I wonder how it attacks," said Mana. "Maybe it's one gigantic bomb, filled with that explosive blood."

"I hope not," said Asuka. "One that size would blow a good portion of the island into a mist."

"**Do not worry, daughter. I shall protect you."**

_Thanks, Mama._

Soon, the sphere stopped, floating at the center of both the Geo-front and the city.

Shinji stared at it. "Okay, wings out if you have them. Whatever this thing is up to, we need to stop it now. Check on everyone is position?"

"I am ready," said Rei.

"We're ready," said Asuka.

"Angel of Death ready to reap," said Toji.

"I am prepared," said Kaoru.

"Trident and I are ready to light up its world," said Mana.

Sanada came on the screens. _"Shinji, at this range, I'm afraid the Goliath units won't be much help without manually aiming them, and the external sensors aren't allowing that to happen."_

"Thanks anyway, Doc," said Shinji. "Keep them in reserve for the next one."

Shinji watched as it approached his position, a laser cannon in his hands. "Okay, on my signal, I'll fire a shot. If you guys can get a lock, take it. If not, I'll most likely have pissed off the floating marble and will lead it out of the city."

"Roger," came the reply.

Taking aim and using the view scope, Shinji manually pointed the barrel at his target, and pulled the trigger.

Soon, all hell broke loose as the marble decided to play rough.

* * *

Misato watched as the laser shot pierced the ball, and it disappeared, the alarms returning.

"What is it?" cried out Rara.

"Pattern Blue," cried out Makoto. "Angel confirmed. It's under Unit 01!"

* * *

Sensing a shift, Shinji leapt into the air as the ground beneath him seemed to become absorbed in darkness, his last sight of it being several cars that seemed to shrink into the darkness. "Have to be faster than that, asshole!" cried out Shinji.

"My turn," cried out Mana, lining up her gun with the shadow on the street and releasing a full charged particle blast into it.

But the two were stunned when the blast just seemed to sink into the murk, with no results.

"What the hell?" said Mana. "It didn't even explode."

"BEHIND YOU!" cried out Toji.

Shinji and Mana turned around, the viewers showing that the sphere had returned, as the striped appearance disappeared, as it flashed white, sending out an energy pulse that threw the two units across the city and smashing into buildings.

Mana was able to have Trident change into its land form before impact, escaping severe damage to her engines.

Shinji, however, had been sent through the cover that was protecting Unit 02, causing both units to smash into another building, and partially burying them in rubble.

"Ignore the sphere," said Kaoru, as Unit 04 climbed onto a building, and aimed its own twin laser guns at the shadow. "The real body's in the shadow."

"_Rei,"_ called Misato, _"get onto high ground and use your rifle to keep the sphere from staying around and releasing more of those pulses."_

"Understood," said Rei, as she used her wings to land on top of a skyscraper that could support her weight, swinging her sniper rifle around to "pop" the sphere wherever it was, keeping it from firing more of those pulses.

"Asuka, you okay?" asked Shinji as he stood up, the rubble shifting off Unit 01.

"I ... I think so," she muttered holding her head. "Damn, that thing packs a punch."

Nodding, Shinji wondered what they could do against it. It had taken a pretty damn good shot from a weapon that would have burned the Fifth Angel, and acted like it was a slight breeze. What did they have that could stop something that tough?

"_SHINJI, ASUKA! IT'S UNDER YOU!"_

"Shit!" the two said, trying to take to the skies once again, but to find themselves stuck like flypaper to the sinking street.

_Damn it, it hid itself!_ Shinji adjusted his AT Field, trying to repel the attack, but only succeeding in reducing his rate of absorption. "Asuka, reset your AT Field to like you're trying to take off!"

"Guys, we need a pickup!' yelled out Shinji.

"A little busy here!" said Toji, as he adjusted the power settings on his weapons once again, before tossing them to the side and into the shadow, watching them sink, before... "Hey, they didn't explode. I set those things to self-destruct. WHAT THE HELL!"

"It would appear that our enemy cannot be harmed with what we have," said Kaoru, reaching into the building he was perched on, and withdrawing the umbilical cables that were now refurbished to provide power to the upcoming weapons packs, and began to wind it up. "Mana, can you take to the air and act as a pulley?"

"Maybe," she muttered, as the systems began to come back online. "I think so; it appears only to be minor armor damage. Just keep that thing from firing off anymore pulses."

"On it," said Toji, taking out two EVA-sized handguns and shooting one bullet at a time at the sphere, which was now in a stationary position after it had trapped the two EVAs. "Rei, reload, I'll keep it busy!"

"Understood," said the pilot of Unit 00, as she went to a weapons cache.

Having enough cable, Kaoru got as close as he could to the submerging Units, Trident now in flight mode above their location, and tosses one end of the cable over the flying JA. "Grab on, and I'll try and pull you out."

The two EVAs grabbed the cable, hearing the whine of the JA engines grow as Mana tried to maintain altitude to allow them to be brought up.

And as Asuka hoped they would be saved, fear growing in her, it was Shinji who noticed one fact: they were still sinking.

_They can't save the both of us._

"**There is still time, son."**

_I'm sorry, Mom, but I can survive whatever this thing is doing. Asuka can't as she is._

"**I don't like it, Shinji; but I'll support you."**

_Thank you, Mother. Together, we will defeat this bastard from the inside._

With those thoughts, Shinji released his grip on the cable, and concentrated his AT Field onto Unit 02. Slowly, the behemoth began to rise from the shadow, the joy and happiness literally pouring off her.

That was, until she noticed it was only her rising. "SHINJI!"

"Sorry, Asuka-chan, but only one of us can be freed, and I could survive in this thing better than you," Shinji said.

"Shinji-kun!" screamed Rei. "Stay there, I'll help you!"

"NO!" Shinji screamed. "This is the only way we can fight this thing! I can't protect or help any of you in there, and they'll need as much help as they can get out here in case I fail."

"But Shin-man!" said Toji.

"Guys, trust me."

Soon, Trident jerked upward as Unit 02 was freed.

Asuka looked down, her hand reaching out to the retreating form of Unit 01 as it slipped into the shadow. Tears fell down her face as she saw the look of the EVA as it was sacrificing itself to save her. _No, I won't owe him! I won't owe Shinji my life!_

"**He is doing this because he believes your life is worth saving, Asuka-chan. Don't make his sacrifice in vain now."**

So, she could only watch as Shinji's form finally sunk into the shadow, feeling the bottom of her stomach fall out at the fact that once again, Shinji had saved her.

This time, it may have cost him his life.

* * *

"Everyone," Misato said, her voice devoid of any emotion after seeing the Miracle Warrior of Tokyo-3 taken by the enemy, "fall back."

"What?' cried Mana. "We have to save Shinji!"

"That ... that is an order; do it now." Misato took a deep breath, before walking out of the command deck.

She waited until the doors were closed, before she let the tears loose at her failure to protect not only her charge, but her friend; her wings wrapping around her to shield her from the world.

* * *

"Well," said Shinji, "this is really fucked up right here."

"**Agreed. I have not been able to locate anything at the current scanning settings."**

Shinji sighed. If he was losing power, he would drop into minimal life support mode to conserve energy.

At the moment, however, he had more than enough. "Well, increase power to the radar and sonar systems; let's see if the big guy is just keeping things out of range."

Soon, the S2 sent more power into the sensor subsystem, attempting to locate a boundary to their prison.

After about a minute, when the scanners were approaching what was their new maximum range, they detected something.

Actually, they detected a few somethings.

Shinji enlarged the view, wondering if perhaps it was rubble from the battle.

Instead, he was seeing other EVAs.

What's more, a few of them were Unit 01s.

"Well, this is new."

* * *

"So," said Misato, after having gathered her emotions back under her control, "that shadow is actually the Angel's body?"

"Correct," said Ritsuko. "It is about 680 meters in diameter and has a thickness of about three nanometers. Sustained inside this ultra-thin layer is an inverted AT Field, which we think was also the reason the sensors were having trouble tracking it. It was actually warping the space within itself, causing our sensor emissions to be warped as well.

"In fact, within that field is now a region of space that only can be descried with abstract mathematics; a Sea of Dirac. In fact, this might even be connected to another universe."

"That would explain the failures of the attacks," said Sanada. "The shots would just keep going, or explode too weakly to do any damage."

"Then what's the sphere?" asked Misato. "That thing had some connection since it started letting loose those burst attacks."

"It disappears when the imaginary circuit of the body closes. The object in the sky is not only a shadow, but a focal point for it to send out a concentrated burst of energy, much like the JA force fields. A literal wall of energy is sent outwards, but it is actually much like a blast of wind made from a thrown punch. Despite the effects, the wind is not part of the body."

"So the pilots were right," said Rara. "The black shadow is the real target."

Ritsuko took off her glasses. "And to be honest, I don't know if we have a way to fight it."

* * *

In another Unit 01, a boy named Shinji sighed, fear overwhelming his senses after he shut down everything he could inside the EVA to prolong his power supply, hoping that someone, anyone, would answer his prayer and save him.

"Would you get up, you look like a pansy sitting like that."

Blinking, he raised his head, not only seeing that he appeared to no longer be within EVA, but was sitting before... "Rei?"

"Not exactly," she said.

He knew it was true. She was all wrong. Sure, she looked like Rei, but she wasn't Rei. For one thing, the eyes weren't the blood red he expected. Instead, her eyes were a deep blue like his own, her hair a near brown instead of the light blue he had come to expect from the quiet First Child. Her skin was no longer the white porcelain he had come to expect, but a tanned hue of a normal girl. "Um..." he said, unsure of what was occurring.

Smiling, the girl offered her hand, helping him to his feet. "My name is Rei Ikari, and I'm from a parallel reality."

That confused the pilot. "What do you mean? Where am I? What's going on?"

Putting a finger to his lips to silence his questions, she waited for him to calm down before speaking. "Okay, let me first ask you this: do you watch any television that deals with parallel realities, maybe a sci-fi or anime show?"

Shinji thought about it. "I think so."

"Good," said Rei. "Well, at the moment, we're in sort of a nexus, where ever person who was absorbed in a battle with Leliel were deposited in a Sea of Dirac; which is sort of like a pocket universe."

"The Angel put us here?"

Rei nodded. "Yep. It seems that this particular Angel is connected to his counterparts all across the multiverse. As a result, in all those universes, if a pilot and EVA were enveloped by it, we got deposited in the same space, just far apart."

"So in another reality, I was born a girl?"

Rei nodded. "Perhaps. I know in my world, you resemble a boy named Shinji Ayanami, who is close to an albino."

"Weird," Shinji muttered. "But, how are we talking like this? Did the Angel do it?"

"Sort of," she said, taking his arm and walking towards a chattering crowd that Shinji now noticed. The room looked like an elegant ball room that seemed to go on forever, filled with people all like Shinji, but not.

What frightened him more were the people he saw. There were dozens of ... him. He spotted several Reis like he knew, a pale Shinji like the one this Rei had told him about, several kids he'd never seen before, a few Asukas, and several of his classmates.

"You see, the guy we all call Shinji-0 because he found us, has a very powerful Unit 01; it has an S2 organ, so he can maintain working at full power."

Shinji gasped. "But only the Angels have those!"

Rei nodded. "Yes, he developed it on his own.

"Anyway, Leliel here tried to probe us with a telepathic wave. Luckily, Shinji-0 found the wave, and overrode the signal, which connected us all."

"You mean when I was questioning myself..."

"That was the Angel trying to understand you, before Shinji-0's link found us. It's still expanding outward, so more of us are ending up here."

"Doing what?" he asked.

Rei shrugged. "Comparing notes, technology that one universe might need that another could provide." She pointed towards a particular Shinji who was staying very close to an Asuka. "That Shinji there lost his Asuka during the dive to capture Sandalphon. The Angel pierced her EVA and she was killed almost instantly."

Shinji gasped. "But ... but I saved her."

"In your world, you did. In his world, he didn't," said Rei with no emotion. "That is the nature of a parallel reality; what happened in your world isn't what happened in their world."

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

Rei shrugged once again. "Saying your sorry doesn't change what you did. It only allows you the chance to alter future actions so such events don't reoccur. So, next time, remember these are different people who have led different lives." _And I think I'll stay quiet about the ones from a reality where Ramiel killed you._

"Let me show you a few of them," said Rei.

"But what about the EVA, we only have—"

"All the time in the world," interrupted Rei. "This world is a realm of thought, time has no meaning here. We could spend an eternity in the time it takes you to blink, so don't worry about running out of power."

Nodding, Shinji continued towards the groups, being led by Rei. So amazed by the experience, he didn't notice two different Shinjis on a balcony. One had grey hair and red eyes, while the other looked like him, except having four wings protruding from his back.

* * *

"So," said Shinji-12, "this is one fine mess my children have gotten us into, Ollie."

Shinji-0 blinked. "Watch many old comedies, do you?"

He shrugged. "What can I say? Mom and Dad weren't exactly doting parents."

"True," said Shinji-0, "but because of you and your Rei, a lot of the ones in your world still have both."

Shinji-12 nodded. "Yes, but then again we are both the avatars and the living embodiment of the first two Angels, or are we seeds, I still haven't figured that out from your visions," said the living form of Adam.

Shinji-0 sighed. "Well, it might be true for us and not you," he said, looking over the crowd of gathering pilots. "Different realities and all."

"True," said Shinji-12, "but then again I'm not the one causing this chaos and showing everyone the paths not taken."

Shinji-0 smiled. "We all need to answer some what-ifs sometimes."

Shinji-12 nodded. "With what we tell them, I would like my unique origins to be unknown. I doubt they would react well to me if they knew."

Shinji-0 nodded. While he had to admit it was a little creepy to have the human form of Adam beside him, he also had to admit that this Angel had been raised by caring parents. He was impressed that this Shinji/Adam had been able to give EVAs souls on his world without them needing human souls, which meant no one had to be absorbed.

What's more, Rei Ayanami in his universe was the equivalent of Lilith, and the two were quite in love, making Shinji-0 wonder exactly how much of their hatred was genetic, and how much was in what passes for a soul inside an Angel.

Shaking his head, he looked down once again at the gathering analogs. "So, any ideas yet on how we pop your child's bubble, before they all die, while hopefully knocking us back to our rightful universes?"

Shinji-12 shrugged. "Not a clue, but like you, I'm working on it."

* * *

"So," somberly said Misato from the staging ground, "what are our options?"

Ritsuko sighed, standing beside her friend. "Not much at this point. They are preparing to implement a forced EVA salvage operation, working on the assumption that if the pilot were still alive, they would have escaped by now."

"WHAT?" yelled out Misato.

Ritsuko nodded. "In theory, it's the only possibility that might work. We will drop all 992 existing N2 mines into the center of the Angel while simultaneously activating the AT Fields of the remaining EVAs in such a way as to disrupt the hypothetical circuit that encloses the Angel's pocket interior. The theory is that if we concentrate enough explosive power in the same microsecond, we might destroy both the Angel and the Dirac Sea that makes up its body."

Misato gasped. "But the damage to the EVA would be... Shinji, he might not...

"This has to be the most fucked up rescue plan I've ever come across!" she screamed.

Ritsuko shook her head. "They are placing priority on rescuing the EVA itself; that the body might be severely damaged or destroyed in the process has no bearing on the matter."

"Now wait a second!" screamed Misato.

"In this matter, the pilot's life is of minimal concern."

Misato's rage couldn't stand it any longer, and she struck.

Ritsuko raised her hand to her cheek, spitting out a bit of blood from the ruptured blood vessels from Misato's slap. "You think you know anything, Misato?" she asked, before standing tall again.

"What would Shinji want," she asked the Colonel. "You know just as I do that Shinji would give his life for the destruction of the Angels, Col. Katsuragi, and if you can't separate your emotions from this matter, than I am assuming command."

"Damn it, Rits, he's our friend!"

"I know," said Ritsuko. "And as his friend, I know when he would want me to let go."

She began walking away. "We'll still try to find another way, Misato. I don't want him dying anymore than you. But even I realize that Shinji wouldn't want us killing everyone else on a foolish mission to save him."

"If the Commander was so worried about his wife," spat Misato, "he should have known more about Unit 01 before ever trying to contact it."

Ritsuko walked away, not caring how Misato knew that the orders to retrieve Unit 01 had come from Commander Ikari.

She also walked away to not show Misato the tears she was starting to cry, at the possibility of perhaps having to sacrifice her pseudo little brother to save the world.

Misato just continued to glare into the night. _Evangelions, Lilith, the Human Instrumentality Project; there are so many dark secrets at NERV._

_And now, we may lose our best hope to expose them all._

* * *

"BULLSHIT!" screamed Toji, flinging the mission statements at the wall, causing the clipboard it was on to shatter. "They expect us to sacrifice Shinji like that."

Kaoru sighed. "It would appear they have decided Shinji-kun is expendable."

"These plans are unnecessary," said Rei. "We can still feel Shinji-kun. He will return safely."

Toji sighed, before looking to the corner of the lunge, where Mana was still consoling Asuka. "You know, even I wouldn't have wished this on the Second Child. She may be a bitch and a demon, but she didn't deserve to experience that."

Rei nodded. "This Angel is unlike any we have encountered before. Judging by our previous encounter, it is safe to assume that the N2 mines will have minimal effect."

"Agreed," said Kaoru. "If anything, the Angel will merely need to enlarge its pocket universe to dispose of the blasts."

"So what can we do?" asked Toji.

"Hope that Shinji-kun can kill the Angel before it or this plan ends his life," said Rei.

"And if not?"

Kaoru turned to face him. "If he fails, what chance do the rest of us have?"

Sadly, Toji had no answer for that.

Sometimes, he really hated being a pilot. It was times like this he understood what Hikari meant by ignorance is bliss.

* * *

Mana continued to hold the crying and near catatonic girl in a hug, trying to both make her feel better, as well as help her own feelings towards what had occurred.

Asuka, however, was also receiving comfort from her mother as well. **"Be strong, Asuka-chan; Shinji will survive this."**

_It hurts, Mama. Why does it hurt?_

"**Because dear, despite how you two fought, I think you care for him. The fact that he sacrificed himself to save you proves he cared for you, and the fact your heart hurts prove you cared for him."**

_So?_

"**So dear, it proves that your heart is mending after my body's death, and you finally are allowing others in your heart besides that playboy Kaji."**

_Mother, forget about Kaji for a moment and help me here!_

"**Daughter, the only thing I can do is tell you this: pray he survives, and then make certain you immediately check and see where these feelings might lead, before something like this happens again."**

Asuka continued to cry, despite her mother's pep talk.

Promises like that were worthless to the EVA pilot ... unless the one they were made for returned to her.

* * *

The group had gathered, trying their best to stave off any fear within the group, as all but two had no S2 organ within their EVAs to provide power. In the dream time, minutes had flowed into hours, flowed into days and weeks. Life stories were exchanged, and tears exchanged as lost souls were reunited, even if they were only analogs of the originals.

Many had been shocked to discover the secrets of their EVAs. For some who had replaced Shinji in their worlds, it explains the near overwhelming sadness they felt whenever they piloted Unit 01.

For others, it nearly broke what fragile holds they had on their sanity; a testament to how poorly NERV had treated them to keep them on a leash.

But together, they had overcome it all, and were standing proud, even as more and more people were starting to fill into the hall.

Shinji-0 sighed, before taking a place before them all. "My fellow warriors. Today, we stand ready to mount a charge against a common threat.

"Soon, we will put our plan into action, and embrace the results. In this time, we have learned many things, many options, and been reunited with those we've lost, if even for a bit.

"But now, we must return to our worlds, and try and save them as best as we can.

"For now, we will be ... victors!' screamed Shinji-0, his fist raised into the air, as the scene was copied by all those nearby.

They had a plan, and now, they prepared to return to their EVAs and bodies, and initiate it.

* * *

Ritsuko looked on as the aircraft carrying the UN payload of N2 mines circled overhead, preparing for their assault.

Looking on as the four remaining EVAs assumed formation, much as they had during the attack of the Tenth, she couldn't help but feel a tear go down her face. _I'm sorry, Shinji; but time's up._

* * *

Inside the Sea of Dirac, pilots began to stir, as the grabbed the control yokes. Soon, they were smiling, before closing their eyes, imagining the souls they knew were within the cores of their EVAs.

And slowly, figures of light began to form, reaching out to touch the souls of the pilots.

And in that moment, the power of the EVA exceeded anything that the Angel could ever hope to contain.

* * *

"**EVAs are in position, and ready to generate the AT Fields."**

"**T-60 seconds until mine drop."**

Before their eyes, the ground began to splinter, as a sea of red mist and sprays shot out from the ground, as if the shadow was cracking apart.

"What the fuck!" cried out Toji.

Rei smiled. "Shinji-kun has done it again."

Kaoru smiled, feeling the pain rise from the Angel. _So, it appears Shinji-kun is progressing further than expected. Yes, this makes the game much more interesting._

"Shinji," whispered Mana from the observation deck.

The ground of the shadow began to roll like a wave within a stormy sea, the ground continuing to shatter, the red fluids gushing forth.

"Status report!' yelled out Misato.

"Unknown," said Makoto.

"All readings and gauges are going off the scale!' yelled out Maya.

"But you guys haven't done anything yet," said Rara.

"That's because it is the work of our Miracle," said Sanada.

Soon, a column of light shot forth from the black and bloody ocean, followed by another and another, piercing into the sky, and causing the UN planes to take drastic action to avoid impacting into one of them.

"Showoff," muttered Asuka, "Third Child's always got to make a grand entrance."

The shadow sphere began to shudder, as the white lines began to change to black, as if it was a fruit that was rotting quickly.

Soon, four wings of light shot out from it, the wings glowing with translucence that blinded nearly all looking at it. Soon, the shell began to split, blood pouring everywhere and shooting out, a loud roar reaching the heavens, as the shell finally gave way.

Everyone stared at the bloody figure of Unit 01, nearly made white in appearance from the pillars of light still shooting out from the shadow body, but slowly dying down. The wings kept the EVA hanging in the air, before the massive machine began to slowly float towards the ground.

Finally, it touched down, covered in blood, the wings slowly fading from sight, as its massive form stood there, standing in victory at the shattered Angel all around it.

* * *

"Shinji? Shinji, are you there? Shinji?"

Slowly, the light began to form in his eyes, trying to take shape. _Man; that was one hell of a power drain._

Slowly, the form began to take shape of his guardian. "Misato ... did I miss dinner?"

Smiling, the tears began to fall from her face, and she lunged at him inside the entry plug, sobs rising from her heart.

Slowly, his arms encircled her. "I told you, Misato, I'd be back."

_Besides, I won't let my friends face this war alone._

Yui stayed silent, her own energy spent. But she had remained conscious long enough to get a reading from the other EVAs; enough to know that all were glad that her son had returned to them, and sending out a quick prayer to those that had been from those other worlds, that their saviors would protect them as well.

* * *

Ritsuko stared at the face of Unit 01 as the techs continued to pressure-wash the Angelic blood from its surface.

What little she had been able to get from Shinji was really starting to mess with her.

"_I saw what could have been, the roads not taken."_

She shivered at that, as the internal data recorders had shown not only a few EVA units near 01, but as the signals began to accumulate and rebound off the other EVAs like a magnification system, there were literally thousands within the Dirac Sea.

It was one thing to think of possibilities.

It was quite another to see them before you.

She could take an educated guess at how bad she may have turned out in those worlds. While not now, she could easily imagine herself still fawning over the Commander, still acting the jealous bitch because of how he viewed Rei, his obsession with his wife.

So, for the moment, she did what she thought was the best thing she could do.

She bowed before Unit 01 smiling. "Thank you for bringing him back."

"**You're welcome."**

Blinking, Ritsuko straightened herself up, looking around for the source, before settling her eyes on Unit 01. _I guess things are finally starting to look up._

Surprised that she may have heard the soul inside the EVA thank her, she left the cage, heading for medical to run some tests on Shinji's current state, noticing the light itching that was coming from her back.

* * *

Slowly opening his eyes, Shinji noticed he wasn't in the regenerating tank, but in a hospital bed. "Why am I here?"

"You needed to only rest."

Slowly, he turned his head, catching the form of Rei sitting beside his bed, smiling. "Miss me?"

"Yes," she said, before standing. "You can rest today. We will take care of everything."

"But I feel fine."

"Well that is good for you."

Blinking, he watched as she left the room, only to be replaced with a somewhat upset-looking Asuka.

_Shit, I should have stayed in a coma._

"Shinji," she said, taking a deep breath, before grabbing his face and giving him a deep kiss.

When she pulled back, she was pleased to see him stunned silent. "We have a date this Friday, be prepared for dinner, a movie, and I expect romance Third Child."

Nodding, he watched as she stormed out, a skip now in her step, before settling back into the bed.

_That ... was new._

Shaking his head, he resumed a new train of thought that was entering his head.

He remembered his talks with Shinji-12, and could only come up with one question: what was the connection between the First and Fifth Children, and the Angels.

Somehow, he just knew he wasn't going to like the answer.

* * *

In a secret room, several obelisks stood, chatting about one thing: Shinji Ikari.

Now, they would implement their next plan in dealing with the anomaly.

This time, they would have their results.


	16. First Steps

**Chapter 16**

**First Steps**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

Shinji sighed as he stood on the rooftop of the apartment complex; confusion and questions filling his mind.

He remembered many of his conversations with the people and analogs of himself within the Sea of Dirac. For many, he felt a large amount of sadness for the lives they had been leading at that point, a growing sadness about how no matter what he did, those things would play out.

For every decision, a new universe is born in the multiverse.

That even includes the decision to interfere.

So, while there would be countless universes where he would find a way to return and change things for the better, there would be another of each universe where he never arrived.

Existence waited for no person ... even a Seed.

But what he had to consider now was a fact he had discovered inside the pocket reality.

The possible secrets of Rei Ayanami were an open book to him now.

"So," he said, "the question becomes: what do I do with what I now know?"

* * *

Within cyberspace, over a dozen black monoliths were in a circle, a meeting underway.

SEELE 01 was very angry. "Why are we behind schedule?" he yelled.

"There is nothing to worry about," said SEELE 05 in a calm voice. "We have developed a contingency to our final possible scenario, as well as have use for the current armory that we have available."

"Are they ready for deployment?' asked SEELE 09.

"Yes," said SEELE 05. "The systems have been tested. They only lack a pilot to use."

"More children?" pitifully asked SEELE 03.

"No," said SEELE 05. "These may be piloted by a human of any age. We merely need to assemble a team who can use them ... to take care of our problem."

* * *

"So," asked Ritsuko, "how is it?"

Shinji was currently running his palm along her spine, scanning the energies that were developing within her. "I'd say about a week at most, perhaps a day or so, until you ascend."

Ritsuko smiled about that. "So, I take it we'll see a surge of them soon?"

Shinji nodded. "Yeah. I'm just surprised it took this long."

Ritsuko nodded as she began to dress, now that Shinji was in the hallway of her apartment and no longer in her bedroom. "Well, can't expect it to be that simple. I heard that so far only four people in your class have ascended other than pilots."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah. They all seemed somewhat happy since Asuka has been showing off what they allow her to do during lunch."

Ritsuko nodded as she put on her sweater. _I'm going to need to take my shirts and tops to a tailor's to get them altered for when I ascend._

"Anything else?"

She began to giggle. "Wanting to ditch me, huh?"

"Nah," said Shinji, his hand waving in front of the door. "I just need to think on some things, and they keep bugging me until I figure them out.

Ritsuko nodded, as she left her room and met him again in the hallway. "Anything I could help you with?"

"Nah," he said. "Just going over the what-ifs again."

She nodded, having done so herself with the stories heard, as she assumed many of the others were as well. "Well, if you need me..."

"You'll be over at my place wanting free food again," he joked.

She laughed along. "You cook better than I do, and I don't have the free time you do." _Besides, it makes me feel like I have a family again._

Nodding, he started to walk with her to the door. "I know. You're always welcome."

He meant it, which was why it meant so much more to her.

As he left, Ritsuko sat on her couch, a cat coming over and jumping on her lap, as she began to pet it.

_No matter what, I'm not alone._

_That means more than he could ever know._

* * *

Mana stared at Trident.

"**The information is disturbing to you?"**

_Yes, very much so._

"**It was not you."**

_It could have been. That Trident sounded like the early prototypes before Rara was brought on._

_I was a simple pawn, and I still fell for him; I was the only one to reach out and connect with him._

"**So, are you bothered because of how sadly that relationship had ended?"**

_Of course I am. They obviously had something, but the people in charge there used them both for selfish goals. Hell, your analog was a mindless machine, worse than a crazed Angel. How can you take this so calm?_

"**Because I am me, not him. While he was destroyed by Shinji to stop him, I was born in this world, where I was given better circumstances to grow as a soul, to enjoy life, and fully connect with my partner, my pilot, my friend."**

Mana stared at the JA for a bit, before turning to look out of the cargo hanger at the setting sun. _I still feel sorry for them._

"**While I sympathize, I must first and primarily concern myself with this reality, and ensure that we survive."**

_If this is the universe we survive the end of._

"**Depressing but true. Like you, I will not accept a destiny I do not like.**

"**Besides, we still have that cute Third Child for you to hook up with."**

Mana sank to the floor, wondering if there was some reality where Trident wasn't such a little brother at times.

And also, if she could get there.

* * *

Shinji and Rei walked hand and hand down the street, enjoying yet another date.

"How was your time with Asuka?" asked Rei.

Shinji chuckled. "For a date she demanded, she didn't seem to put much planning into it."

Rei smiled and nodded. _Good, it would have been troublesome for my own designs if she was able to impress Shinji._ "Does that mean you did not enjoy yourself?"

"The date had its moments."

"I do not understand."

Shinji smiled. "She may have tried too hard, but I knew her heart was in the right place."

"So, you desire to become one with her," stated Rei, quelling her own rising fear.

Shinji paled. "Rei, I'm too young to be one with anybody," he said. "I'm only fourteen."

"Yet we are in a profession where every day could be our last." Rei wondered if this was like one of those scenes in the books Misato had lying around the apartment before Kaji had arrived. _Though Shinji does not have the long flowing golden locks. But he does have a well defined musculature on his physical form._

Shinji nodded. "All the more reason to live it to our terms."

His voice dropped a few decibels, as he decided to breach the subject with Rei. "Also, I wanted to discuss with you a few things I found out inside the Dirac Sea."

"Such as?"

Shinji stopped and leaned into her, whispering into her ear. "Such as the truth about your birth, Rei."

Rei pulled back as if punched, her eyes wide. _He knows, he knows my secret!_

"When were you going to tell me about your connection to me?"

Rei grasped his arm, trying to steady herself. The emotions playing across her mind were furiously trying to overwhelm her. "It was of no importance."

"Why?"

"What were the ratios with those you met?"

Shinji paused in their walk, helping Rei take a seat on a bench, as she looked as if she was death warmed over. "Most were 50/50, a few were higher."

"My connection to you is only point-one-one percent."

Shinji blinked. From what the other Reis and the Shinji Ayanami's he had spoke with had informed him of, the 50/50 ratio was best for returning a soul from the human donor.

He had been able to guess that when Unit 01 had absorbed his Mother during the First Contact experiment, Gendo had to have assumed the Yui had passed body as well as soul.

The theory was a clone using 50/50 would allow the person to be returned, as nearly all of the DNA of Lilith mirrored that of her chosen species of evolution, as even she changed depending on the conditions of the world she was on. The clone would be able to tap into Lilith's egg—which the others believed was a storage place of souls—and be reborn onto this world.

But those theories didn't exist fully until after Rei's birth.

Gendo had made a leap, and when Rei did not turn out to be Yui, he had his first understanding of what had happened.

None of the others knew exactly where their souls had come from; whether or not they were the souls of someone else, or something that was and would always be their very own.

All they knew was what they had been told to that point, even if they were privy to all of NERV's secrets.

But secrets like those meant little to the clones. They had only the will taught to them.

Well, had.

"So, what does that mean?"

Rei took a deep breath, trying to sooth her anxiety. "While I may have some memories of Yui Ikari, I do not share the necessary genetic material necessary to imbue me with her soul, should it have been free."

"I know you are your own person," said Shinji.

"It is more than that. I do not share enough common genetic traits to be considered even close family relations to you. The percentage qualifies me as a very distant cousin at best."

Shinji blinked. _Shit, Rei likes me as something more than a friend. Need to remember to change the sleeping arrangements then._

"Anything else?"

Rei looked over towards him. "I do not wish to change our current relationship at the risk of losing what I have currently gained. As such, informing you of my past offered low gain for maximum risk. As such, I decided that informing you of both sides that donated to my existence would only hinder the further development of a romantic relationship between us."

Shinji sighed. _Women, even angelic ascend ones; cannot be understood by man._ "Rei, do you think I would reject you as a friend if I learned."

"No, I do not," she said. "However, that was not a chance I was willing to take."

"You were afraid I would reject you."

"Correct. I may be considered family, or a potential mate," she said, not noticing Shinji cringe at the two terms, "but such actions would be first dictated by acceptance of my nature before my ascension. As such, the risk that my presence would somehow become offensive to you was too great to ignore."

Shinji stopped her from proceeding, having gathered that her fears had overridden her usual logic. "Rei, did you think I would hate you for what your Mother is doing to me?"

Rei nodded. "You talk in your sleep. I was able to gather enough information to deduce it was my mother that was assaulting your personage. When she attacked you at school, I had a flash of her assault when we touched. Therefore, as is common, I feared any family connection between me and her would allow said feelings to be easily transferable to me."

Shinji nodded, even as he pulled Rei into a hug. "I'm not like that Rei.

"But as for possible relationships, I still want to hold off on those until after this war is over and the Angels have been dealt with.

"While we do have dangerous jobs, it makes it no more a reason to rush into that level of a relationship before we are ready."

"Are you ready now?"

"No," he said, chuckling slightly.

"How about now?"

Rocking her a bit in his arms, he rubbed her back. "I'll tell you when, okay?"

"That is acceptable," she said, though Shinji didn't miss the disappointment in her voice.

He knew it was hurting her for him to say that. The others had informed him of what small and empty lives they had led, and almost welcomed death. In a way, her ascension had given Rei something to live for, and moving in with Shinji and Misato had expanded her base of reality, giving the girl more to live for and to enjoy life than ever before or wanted.

_I guess one more reason can't hurt._ With that thought, he pulled Rei closer and into a kiss.

He could literally feel the sadness fall off the girl, the joy of the moment rising within her.

Soon—much too soon for Rei—he ended the kiss. "If you plan to die in this war, then you might.

"I plan to live, and continue my life, no matter what."

"As will I, Shinji-kun," she said, smiling again.

_Shinji-kun is correct. I will live; not only to protect him, but because after the war, we will have our own lives to lead once again._

With that, the two continued along the park, before heading into town, letting their minds wander, as did their path.

* * *

"_Report!"_

"_This is 07; target has been sighted heading into District 25. Over."_

"_This is 14. We have several areas available to us within that district for the use in the operation. Over."_

"_This is 01. Set the intercept point to be in District 25, Section 4, Grid 3. Over."_

"_Understood."_

* * *

Kensuke sighed as he held the ice pack to his head, trying to hold off the massive migraine he had received from his latest meeting with the AI of JA-05.

He truly wished he could come up with a name for it; it really did seem impersonal to him to keep referring to the sentient soul as an identification number.

"Still stuck on the name?" asked Toji, arriving at the table with a large tray of food.

Kensuke nodded, lowering the ice pack to scoop up some food for himself. "Yeah. I don't mind the conversation; but the constant questions get so tiring. Who could stand such a thing."

Toji resisted the urge to chuckle, remembering how Kensuke had been when they had visited the _Over the Rainbow_. "Well, how did they deal with that for Trident and Mana?"

Kensuke sighed. "They had been working with her for years, had people literally inputting the data into a memory buffer for the AI to assimilate. They literally had the time to spoon feed the data, wisdom, and logic into the matrix."

"And now?"

"Now they expect me to finish it up in under a week," grumbled Kensuke.

Toji chuckled a bit. "Don't tell me your dream is turning into a nightmare," he said as his best friend delivered a dark glare towards the EVA pilot.

"Fuck you," muttered Kensuke. "I bet your EVA isn't this much of a pain."

Toji shook his head, washing his food down with his juice. "Do you know how hard a pain it is to learn to _speak_ to an EVA's soul?" he asked. "You have an easy interface.

"I had to learn to rethink how I saw people talking just to hear Azrael."

"But did he bug you this much?"

Toji chuckled. "Worse; the guy had no contact aside from Shinji and the other EVAs. Hell, sharing my memories with him bonded us closer."

Kensuke blinked. "You can do that?" he asked, astounded.

Toji nodded. "When you communicate with your mind, that's possible. Took a while for Hikari to explain it to me; something called ESPN I think, but I didn't see why not, so I tried it."

Toji's voice dropped to a whisper. "Just try your hardest not to share the embarrassing stuff. They really seem to enjoy that."

Kensuke shuddered, immediately recalling several memories he hoped would never see the light of day, as he stood up, setting the ice pack on his head. "Okay, we'll try it that way."

As he left, Toji could only lightly chuckle as he grabbed his fish with his chopsticks. "Sucker," he said.

It took Hikari three days to get that problem out of him and explain. Trying to hide those memories made them the easiest accessible for the souls to find.

* * *

"Anything new?" she asked, as they stood at the lookout point over Tokyo-3.

Kaji shook his head. "Nothing new that I can offer," he said. "The only change recently has been the Committee."

Misato's eyes arched. "Really, do tell."

Kaji started to flick his lighter. "They have made seemingly random and large shifts in storage and maintenance procedures. These changes have increased dramatically in the last week alone."

"They are preparing for something," she said.

"It would appear so," said Kaji. "The Interior Ministry has received several requests for land, facilities, and other materials."

"Could they be planning an attack of some sorts?"

"Who knows? For now, we have more questions, and it is entirely too soon to check out the requested areas. The new changes will have security that even I wouldn't risk."

Misato nodded.

"And how is our little God-in-training since his return from Dirac?"

Misato sighed. "He's not a God."

"By the dogma of the Committee, he is."

Misato sighed. "Those fossils have no idea the forces they're playing with."

"Do we?"

"No," she admitted. "But we aren't constantly poking them with a stick, either."

Kaji nodded, before turning back to the city. "One thing does bother me."

"What's that?"

"Well," he started, "we believe the Committee was behind the JA sabotage. All evidence supports the idea that Shinji was the main target. It all but ignored the Evangelion, even as it was being restrained by it."

Misato nodded in agreement. Even Dr. Sanada had been confused by the robot's single-mindedness assault on Shinji. The JA-00 computer had recorded several alerts being posted about the approaching EVA, but no actions or counter-measures had been taken.

Simply put, the attack just didn't give a damn about them, even when their presence became a threat to the mission. It could have manually attacked them from behind, despite the altered AT-Field's protection and camouflage. "And?"

"Well, Misato; when do you think they will try again?"

Misato paled, before she ran to her car phone to call Section-2. It was time for Shinji's detail to be ...augmented.

* * *

Shinji and Rei had continued walking, enjoying the scenery.

More importantly, Rei was enjoying the fact that Shinji was holding her hand, as she felt his warmth and pulse within it. _This is what it means to be close, to approach the boundaries of becoming one with one that shares a connection to your heart._

Shinji didn't miss Rei's smile; glad that the girl was enjoying life. _I saw too many Reis in that void with only their mission to live for. I'm glad at least this Rei has something more._

But his mind was still on other issues.

One of them something he had told no one.

Inside himself, he felt his power ... pulsing.

He didn't know what it meant. It could something as simple as him getting a new pair of wings.

Then again, it could be some slow bomb Lilith had placed in him during their encounters, slowly counting down until he exploded.

It was a truly frightening thing not to know what was going on inside you, only having an inkling about what might be possible trouble.

He wanted to ask his Sensei. The man was a pure genius when it came to things like that; often Shinji found himself questioning how such a man could be real, let alone willing to train him when he was younger.

NERV had even requested the man come to train their staff and the pilots.

He had disappeared.

Shinji wasn't worried about the man's safety. The man may have looked ancient, but he was bouncing Shinji around during their spars as if he was nothing.

No, Sensei would return only when he felt like it, and not a moment before.

Didn't mean that Shinji couldn't train the others.

So far, they had come along nicely, even Kaoru was surprising him in how quickly he learned—something Shinji could now attribute to possible Angel DNA within Kaoru; making him wonder who the human donor was for the boy.

Of course, such musings could never go for long.

* * *

Kaoru stopped feeding the pigeons in a park, enjoying the scenery, and turned towards a district on the other side of Tokyo-3.

_I do not like what I am sensing._

_Shinji-kun is in danger._

"**What should we do, Kaoru?"** asked his EVA.

_Nothing at the moment, Hoshoni. Until we know more, things will proceed as they must._

There was a moment of silence, before Hoshoni spoke again. **"Have you decided on your ... impending choice, Kaoru?"**

_No, and such things worry me such. I am not certain if I will have a choice in the matter when the time comes._

"**Whatever happens, I shall continue to stand beside you, my friend."**

Kaoru wiped away a tear.

Even Angels knew the true value of friendship.

Kaoru was only saddened that even such bonds had to one day end.

* * *

Only moments before, he had been enjoying the quiet and beautiful day with a female friend.

Then, those moments were shattered, his instincts and quick reaction the only thing keeping both him and Rei from receiving bullets to the body, as the sidewalk behind them erupted in a hail of gunfire.

He paused, watching as several weird armors appeared around their location, standing on the low buildings, hovering in the air.

What more, the feelings he was getting from them weren't good. They felt ... like Angels and EVAs.

"Rei," he said, "when I tell you to, run and get help. Understood?"

Rei nodded in agreement, her own senses telling her things were very bad. The impact of those few rounds of bullets had torn a sizeable area of the sidewalk they were on apart, leaving her little wonderment about the power of those shots, and doubting her own AT-Field would survive that assault for long.

Quickly pulling his sword, Shinji began an attack. "Spirit Cut Revised: Circle of Death!"

The energy formed a circle around him, expanding outward and creating a large dust cloud as the street was torn up. Grabbing Rei's hand, he quickly threw her in the direction where the guard was heaviest. He believed they would expect him to try and run, and may have left the hole in their guard in purpose. A planned trap that would close on him in the instant he ran for it.

It proved true, as Rei used her AT-Field to surge into the air from Shinji's throw, blazing by the two lone sentries; her destination: NERV, and help.

"It doesn't matter," said 01 as he discharged some rounds into the cloud. "You are the main target; death or capture, the decision is yours. We get paid the same amount anyway it goes."

Shinji had barely dived out of the way of the bullets. His mind was confused by the fact that the bullets had not deflected off his AT-Field as they should have, but passed through, almost striking him, had he not moved out of the way beforehand; the ricochet meant to happen from the area between his arms and body. His sword now out and at the ready, he waited for them to charge, trying not to think of how similar this was to what had occurred all those years ago.

Except now, these people actually looked prepared to fight him.

Shinji couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

* * *

"Sir," said Makoto, "the monitoring stations of District 25 just went down a few minutes ago."

Kozo walked over to the brig bunny. "Any clue as to what may have caused it?"

"No sir."

"Try the backup systems."

"I've tried sir. None of them are coming online."

Kozo stood back. _This does not bode well._ "I want a engineering team sent to those locations with full armed escorts. Have Section 2 begin a full physical accounting of the EVA pilots and the JA pilots."

"Sir?"

"Son, when someone doesn't want you to see an area this bad, they are up to something very bad. Right now, we can't even detect an Angel if it pops up there, let alone a troubled pilot.

"NOW MOVE IT!"

Even Shigeru jumped and began to perform the needed instructions. Whenever the Sub Commander yelled, you had damn well react, or you ended up working at a NERV branch in some backwoods area.

And he was not going to be transferred to NERV France on his watch.

Soon, the alert sounded. "Sir!" cried out Maya. "Unit 01 just activated!"

Kozo's eyes snapped to full alertness. "Find me the Third Child NOW!" He knew of only one reason for Yui to activate herself right now: Shinji was in serious trouble.

He could only hope that they found him before 01 took out the facility.

* * *

Shinji dodged another batch of bullets, trying to weave a free path away from his attackers.

The situation was not good. "SPIRIT CUT!" he cried, releasing yet another attack.

And all he could do was stare as it hit an AT-Field being generated by 07, as the mecha aimed and shot at him again.

Shinji dodged again, only to have that move met with a strong armed fist of 04 to his gut, sending him into a store front.

"I thought they said he'd be tough," said 03.

"They did," said 09, "but what they gave us was tougher."

Shinji would have agreed, had he not been trying to catch his breath and heal the cracked ribs the punch had inflicted on him. _He went right through my AT-Field._ He was at a loss to explain it. He knew that a high powered particle beam could do it, but these guys weren't using that.

And if their hits were cutting through like it was nothing, he began to suspect that the bullets might just do the same.

Tightening the grip on his sword, he darted from the wreckage, intent on slaying the demons before him. He was going faster than even he knew he could, appearing at the back of one inside the mecha marked 08, before slashing with his sword, an enormous amount of power being channeled into the blade.

Shinji barely had time to stare in shock as his sword shattered against the AT-Field behind the mecha, before he was surprised by a few shots from 02 that caught him.

Shinji hit the ground in pain, feeling as if his body had been ripped apart.

In reality, it had been his right lower wings that had been ripped off by the bullet spray.

Shinji gasped, barely pushing himself out of the way of another spray of the weird bullets, trying to keep the pain away long enough for him to find a way out of here.

They continued to shoot at him, strike at him, as he observed his situation. The street was isolated, and he doubted anyone would bother them unless Rei brought them. The very fact he had not seen another soul besides his attackers let him know that the situation was really bad. He was essentially alone.

At to the fact he was being attacked in a semi-pack mentality further tilted things against him. The group had an inner circle which did the majority of the attacking, and an outer circle which kept him from escaping, shooting at him to force his abandonment from a particular escape vector.

So, he was outnumbered, alone, without effective means of fighting, and since the street was away from the defense grids, no holes to dive into to escape.

They never let up, and he was beginning to tire, his S2 organ trying to heal his wounds from near misses, blood loss from his severed wing, and keep him going fast enough to not become a target.

Sadly, something had to give, and it was not the enemy.

"AHHH!" cried Shinji as yet another wing was taken off, the bullet also slamming into his right arm, shattering the bone between the elbow and the wrist.

Things continued to go downhill from there.

Soon, his other two wings were lost, his speed slowing even more as the S2 went into overdrive to keep the blood loss from killing him. Several wounds were opened up, as the soldiers began to take easy shots at the half-dead target, avoiding his internal organs, and deciding to prolong his suffering more by shooting his arms, legs, extremities that wouldn't be fully fatal in an instant.

With a thunderous punch, 10 connected with Shinji's face, sending him wheeling into a side street, his spin out of control, and his impact anything but light.

* * *

Shinji smiled at his Sensei as he finally connected a hit that sent the man back several meters. "I DID IT!" he screamed, only to receive a kick to his sternum, sending him back even farther.

The man laughed as Shinji struggled to stay standing. "Never assume that you are at the end of a fight until the opponent has left the battle ground, my child. To do so invites a surprise attack, and leaves you defenseless to it."

"Yes, Sensei," said little Shinji, as he took his ready stance again, and charged his teacher."

* * *

"I had a few friends on the first attempt, you fucking freak," said 06 as he lifted Shinji up by his head, the bleeding frame not even swaying slightly. "I've been waiting for this chance ever since then, training to make certain you'd never take me, training to ensure their vengeance was made."

His fist connected with Shinji's guts, sending the boy flipping back.

The man laughed, until Shinji slowly sat up on his legs.

"Why won't you fucking take a hint and stay down!"

* * *

"Sometimes, student," said the Sensei, "even in defeat, you may claim some small amount of victory."

"How?"

Sensei smiled. "They may break your body, but never let them believe for one moment that they have broken your will."

* * *

"DAMN YOU!" said 06 as two bullets ripped into Shinji's limbs, causing him to sway a bit, before sitting back up.

The man aimed his sight at Shinji's head, intent on ending it, when 01 grabbed the arm.

"They wanted his body mostly intact, the head fully intact."

* * *

Shinji just stayed in the position he had managed, a small smile on his lips, as conscious thought began to fall away from his mind; the blood loss reaching critical levels at his current point.

His mind slowly began shutting down, his sense of sight dulling, as images began to blur.

_I'm ... I'm dying. This is what it feels like._

_I should be fighting back, shouldn't I?_

_Mother, why can't I hear Mother? Am I too far gone for her to help me? Can she not feel me here?_

_I wonder what happens when you die._

"What about the others?" he heard.

"They want us to round up the other freaks later."

_They ... they'll go after my friends?_

_Why?_

_No._

_No!_

_NO!_

A sleeping beast, long since dormant in man, more readily available to an Angel, woke up.

* * *

"We must hurry!" yelled Rei as they raced back to the area where she had been forced to leave Shinji to face the weird battle suits.

Several members of Section 2 were following her, and more were on their way. They were fetching heavier equipment, and a few pilots were being rounded up to use the Evangelions. Sure, the mechas would have the advantage of being small.

But an EVA's foot was a very good weapon.

But they all stopped when the rounded a corner.

The street was now a mess of ruble, shop faces destroyed, cracks seeming to show a building no longer capable of standing. Holes dotted the buildings, but it was still easy to see by their sizes it had not been the mechas that had been shoved through to create them.

But the one sight that pained their hearts; more so for Rei, was the sight of at least two wings on the torn ground; bloody and broken, no longer attached to Shinji's back. Beside them were the shattered remains of Shinji's sword, the only piece remaining with the hilt only a third as large as the hilt itself.

"My God," said one man, looking around. "The destruction..."

"We must find Shinji," stated Rei, trying to force back her fears of what may have occurred since her departure. "He is in desperate need of assistance."

"But what the hell can we do?" said another man. "They tore his fucking wings off."

Rei was about to inform him he would do his job, but another sign told them their job had just gotten harder.

A corner portion of a building busted open, followed by the mangled corpse of one of the mechas. The lower half had been ripped from it, if the torn and mutated metal were any indications; blood pouring out from the area the man's half body now occupied.

The upper torso had been pot-marked with holes, burns appearing where embedded circuitry and literally exploded in fire and shards. The arms were misaligned; most likely torn from their sockets, or the arms themselves shattered. The wrists looked compacted down, barely wider than a few fingers.

But they would not hear the person who had been piloting the machine moan in pain, or in fear of the certainly approaching death.

His head was no longer attached to the body ... at least a full head.

And then a scream pierced the air, inhuman, and easily able to convey its desire: it wanted death.

* * *

_A minute earlier..._

There were few things in common with all life forms past a certain point within their developments. If you reached a certain level of complexity, one fact would always rear its head.

No matter what, it would fight to survive.

This could sometimes be negated for those with consciousness. They could choose not to fight it, to accept death. Even the Angels had this option, and could choose to use their death to take their enemies with them.

The Third Angel Sachiel had tried this, as did the Eighth Angel Sandalphon when Asuka had pierced its protective shell.

And now ... so would Shinji.

He slowly raised himself to stand, his eyes still showing a thousand-yard-stare; his head slowly looking up towards his assaulters; before his eyes lost their bluish shine, and shifting to a darker red.

He began to growl a bestial sound, causing the men to start to laugh at him once again.

"What's the matter, dumb-fuck?" said 03. "Did we make you a doggie?"

The mecha seemed to almost sneer, as it raised its gun-arm up. "Maybe then we should put you down, boy."

And with that, he released another volley of Anti-AT bullets.

They could have sworn they saw Shinji smile—a smile that made their blood freeze just a bit.

And then, before the bullets hit their target, they were stopped by a white wall, a hexagon ripple forming from the impact of each bullet.

"WHAT THE HELL?" yelled out 03, surprised that their Anti-AT bullets were stopped by an AT-Field.

"It's just not possible!" gasped 05.

"JUST FUCKING SHOOT!" yelled out 01, as the group soon brought up their gun-arms, sending a continuous volley of the special bullets at Shinji.

Shinji just continued to smile as the bullets bounced harmlessly off his AT-Field. Soon, he appeared to be shaking, before the sounds of a laugh could be heard over the hail of gunfire; growing louder as each second passed.

And as the laugh progressed, Shinji's body began to glow white as well, wounds and bullet holes healing quickly enough to be seen with the human eye.

And then, the wings sprouted again. First one set ... then another ... and finally a new third set. Throughout it all, Shinji just kept laughing at their attempts, even as the men reloaded their guns from fresh supplies being carried by hovering units, showing that even alone, the men still had support.

But Shinji would not allow them a second chance.

He darted forward quicker than could be tracked. Soon, he was holding onto the arm of 08, his feet braced against the unit's chest, as he tightened his grip and pulled.

The man screamed, using his free arm to try and dislodged the boy.

But Shinji used one free arm to grab the offending appendage, and squeezed.

The man's scream let no doubt as to what the squeeze had done; neither did the now flattened area of the mecha armor.

But soon the man's pain grew, as Shinji's brace finally gave results, as the metal shrieked as it tore, taking with it the mecha arm and that of the man as well.

Shinji, however, didn't care that the man was now minus one arm, his other crushed.

He didn't care as he back flipped away with his new prize, as the man's teammates turned their weapons on him, and soon silenced 08's cries, hoping to have hit Shinji.

They missed.

Shinji didn't, his hand finding the trigger mechanism after removing the man's arm, and decided to do unto others as they had done onto him, using the gun to bypass the AT Fields of the mecha, sending seven of their team to their graves in a hail of blood and metal.

When the rounds were out, Shinji tossed the arm at a rapid pace, embedding it inside the chest of 06, before he leapt at 03, his body shattering the AT Field that had protected the offending hardware, his hands glowing, and causing the armor to jerk about, exploding in several areas as circuits were infused with more energy than they could have ever handled. It was followed by Shinji lancing a punch into the man's head, shattering the armor and a good bit of skull, before lifting it above his head, using the two arms and two legs, and began to pull on them like a wish bone.

The sounds of bone, body, and metal snapping were quick and loud, the arms already twisted beyond recognition as were the legs, before Shinji tossed the two pieces behind him, both in separate directions.

Before he turned to face his remaining tormentors; what he did next chilled the survivors even more, letting them know that the end was very near.

Shinji spoke, proving there was a mind behind the madness.

"Today, you die for your sins."

* * *

The arrivals could only gasp at the carnage before them.

Rei bent down, grabbing and cradling the broken remains of Shinji's sword, an item he had had with him for years, as she watched the man she knew begin to literally rip his enemies apart, a dark smile on his face showing his joy for removing their lives from this Earth.

_This is not Shinji-kun. I do not know who or what this is, but these are not the actions of Shinji-kun._

But that did little to alleviate the image before her, or that of the other Section 2 agents with her and those arriving, as Shinji continued to brutally assault the mercenaries who had come for him Their screams could be heard begging for mercy, which Shinji would not grant.

Finally, he had 01 down on the ground, the armor busted, power gone, his team bloody smears and stumps along the ground.

And one very pissed off, insane ascended male before him, kneeling on the fractured chest. "Was it worth it?" he asked. "Was all this worth what they offered you to capture or kill me?"

The guy gasped, pale from the horror and hell he had witness as the same boy that had easily pushed around minutes ago, had now taken the upper hand, playing with him.

When the guy failed to answer, Shinji's hand darted forward, warping the armor as if it was paper, before ripping off a piece, throwing it behind him at speeds that sent it easily through what remained of another soldier.

"Answer me!" screamed Shinji.

"Shinji-kun?" Rei called out, trying to stop the horror her friend had become.

But her answer was shock as a white AT-Field slammed into existence before her, cutting off any attempts to reach them.

And from what she could see, Shinji wasn't even trying to hold it up, her own powers proving too small in comparison to push through.

"Call for the EVAs, we need to stop Shinji-kun!" she called back to the Section 2 agents around her, only three moving from the sheer sight before them to do as instructed.

"ANSWER ME!" screamed Shinji, ripping off another piece of the armor.

"N-n-n-n-no!' cried the man.

"Who sent you?" Shinji asked.

The man's eyes widened, seeing Shinji lean closer to him.

"Well?" Shinji asked, grabbing into another piece of the armor.

"I don't know!" screamed the man.

"I find that hard to believe," calmly said Shinji, as he ripped off a large enough piece to expose a good portion of the man's chest. "And liars make me angry."

Shinji's hand blurred, finger outstretched, as the rib could be heard snapping from the strike, the man back to screaming in pain.

"STOP THIS, SHINJI!" cried out Rei, only to be pushed back further as the field expanded.

"STAY OUT OF THIS, REI!" he yelled. "THIS IS MY CHOICE, MY FIGHT, AND MY RULES!"

He looked down at the man. "And Shinji says 'you lie, you die'. So, answer with the truth, and I shall set you free of the pain."

"I don't know!' the guy panicked. He knew if he told, his life was forfeit. If this kid didn't kill him, his employers would.

Shinji growled at the man's refusal. "Remember, I kept my word," he said.

The street cracked under the power of Shinji's punch into the man's chest, blood beginning to pool, the man's screams echoing into the air.

The second punch ended the man's pain, as Shinji sent it through the man's head.

He slowly stood up, the glow around his body growing again as the blood fell from his hands, the field keeping his torn clothes from receiving one drop of their taint.

He took several steps back, his mind no longer fully enveloped inside a haze of anger and hatred, of darkness and need for survival at any cost.

And all he could do was gasp in horror at what he had done again.

He dropped to his knees, images of what had happened in his youth assaulting his mind.

Those men hadn't had AT-Fields to offer any protecting. They had come with nothing but what as then slightly above standard military hardware.

He had slaughtered them without mercy, never once stopping when they were around, resuming the slaughter when their backup arrived.

"_Shinji, you did what you had to. Those men didn't care whether you lived or died."_

"_But it didn't mean I had to be like them!"_

"_Shinji, you have a great power within you, and there will be those who seek to use it for their own purposes. Do you think they would have stopped with you? No, they would have done whatever they needed to get you, and those types of people have no problems with using innocents to get you to bend to their wills._

"_Shinji, you are not responsible for the actions of others, only yourself. For now, be proud that those men won't be hurting any other people. Be respectful at what you have done, and remember this empty feeling. Killing is never easy, but all too often necessary. Just remember this feeling, because when it disappears, then you really have become them."_

The words his adoptive father had said to him began to flow through his mind.

_Forgiveness?_

_Can I ever be forgiven?_

_Have I done anything to be forgiven for?_

_They had almost killed Rei._

_They would have killed me._

_They deserved to die! They didn't care whom they killed, as long as I died, as long as they completed their mission!_

_They why do you feel wrong?_

"**This is nothing to feel wrong about, Shinji," **said Yui, interrupting his thoughts. **"They had to be stopped son, and you know this. Forgive yourself, son. That is the right thing to do."**

Shinji looked towards the heavens, wondering if whatever thing or things controlled destiny was enjoying the sight of him suffering once again.

He decided their answer must have been no, as his body was engulfed in light, his nerves telling him he was on fire.

* * *

"Sir!' cried out Makoto. They had been on red alert status ever since a weird power signature had been detected, more so than when Rei had reported in about the attack on Shinji.

"What is it?" asked Gendo. He knew who was behind the attack. _So, the old men are afraid of what Shinji is doing to their precious scenario. _

_Let them fear, the boy cannot be stopped now._

"That strange energy pattern we detected inside the attack zone, sir. It's amassing upon itself!"

"WHAT?" screamed Kozo.

* * *

"Shinji?' asked Rei, walking quickly towards the screaming form of her friend.

"Rei! Get away! I can't control it!"

Rei stopped her progress. The voice had been Shinji's; at least, the Shinji she knew.

But even this close, she could feel the power radiating off him, the ground cracking further as the power began to shake apart the very earth he stood on.

Suddenly, he stood up, arms and wings outstretched, as the power reached critical mass.

All that anyone saw was a blinding light.

* * *

Ritsuko stared into the container of medical LCL as Shinji floated in it.

His wings floated beside him, as if he was gliding on some unseen current.

She had been happy when he was brought in by Rei. His eyes had returned to blue from their dark red, as was reported by both Section 2 and Rei.

But his energy levels were critical; his body showing signs it was in a coma of some sorts.

Ritsuko stretched her wings, reddish brown as her hair had been before she dyed it, thinking back to what Shinji had just done, wondering what it would mean.

Fifty kilometers had been enveloped in the blast from every direction of Shinji's burst. A circle with a diameter of one hundred kilometers held a population that had gone from wingless normal humanity to ascend in mere seconds of the light hitting them. From reports, some had experienced some pain.

Nothing too hurtful, just enough to make you realize what had occurred.

NERV and the networks were broadcasting what had happened ... after altering it a bit.

The Third Child had been attacked by a cult of Angel worshippers.

He had been injured, but had won.

The cult had developed some sort of weapon from backers unknown, discovered or theorized to be an N2 weapon of some sorts; very high yield.

Shinji stopped the blast from causing any damage by changing the blast somehow.

Instructions were given to the populace on what this now meant; changes they would need to make.

Though the ascended beforehand had never felt a need to, instructions were given on how to withdraw the wings for a short time. The locals who had ascended never did it; either due to emotional control issues, or the human need to flaunt an ability they had that made them better.

Rei, who did have the emotional control never did so, saying it made her feel ... happy ... to be different.

Ritsuko didn't have the heart to tell her that after the burst, she and her sisters were now very similar.

Even the EVAs had been changed. Scans indicated that the pilots were no longer necessary to summon the wings. Perhaps, even the Dummy Plugs would be able to work with them and produce the wings, since the main components now sported them as well.

But, the cost had been high.

Shinji had yet to wake up since he released the burst.

That had been three days ago.

And to be brutally honest, she didn't know if he would.

* * *

"Damn chairs," muttered Rara, as he turned his seat around. Being shorter than average, even the special seats often used provided him with no relief, pinching his wings just as much as anyone else.

"Report!" said Gendo, in his usual pose, his pitch black wings behind him, Kozo standing to his right as usual with his grey wings.

"No casualties reported as of today," said Shigeru. "Looks like it was light shock at best."

Makoto nodded. "We've had thousands of requests for interviews and information about the ascension process. The UN has also requested all available data on the process and Shinji be sent to them for analysis."

"Like hell," said Misato. "We have no idea who the hell supported those mercenaries, and there's no way in hell we should be handing out classified information without knowing that!"

Kaji sighed. "That may not be wise," he said. "Surely whoever did this will want something for their troubles, or they will try again. And since none of the other ascended have even reached the second level, let alone the third, we might find ourselves hard pressed to deal with them again."

"You're saying we should appease them?" asked Sanada.

Kaji nodded. "These men won't stop until they either have a dead body of an ascended—which might work to our advantage since they surely had some men within Shinji's sphere—or until they have data on their intended target. If we control what information they get on Shinji, we could have an ace in the hole."

"You're saying we trick them," said Misato.

Gendo nodded. "We currently do not know their capabilities inside the Geo-Front, and their equipment, if in sufficient quantities, would overwhelm the defenses we have in place."

Misato growled. "All this weaponry and we can't do shit."

"And the Third Child?"

Ritsuko turned towards her former lover. _Can't you even call him by name?_ "He's healing, but very slowly. Whatever triggered that release nearly killed him. I'd hate to see what would happen if it happened again, so we're keeping him under constant surveillance."

"The weapons they used?"

"The alloy seems able to penetrate an AT-Field."

"Is that even possible?" gasped Rara.

Ritsuko nodded. She herself had been privy to such a material. But she knew of only one time to get a sample. "We've had one instance of such an alloy, and we've been trying to duplicate it in a lab. For them to do it this fast for a bullet form..."

"They came expressly for Shinji," Misato said. "We're dealing with the same bastards who used the Jet Alone tests to target Shinji."

"And they have better toys than us," said Maya.

"This was a wakeup call," said Kozo. "They know they have us outclassed with technology, and they aren't afraid to use it to show us."

"And what if those were the old models?" said Maya.

Gendo merely stared. _The old men have made their first move. To interfere at this point means they are desperate for control._

_The question is: what will their next move be?_

* * *

Kaoru stared into the LCL chamber housing the Third Child.

It was a weird feeling for him. For so long, he had known his destiny, his purpose, on this world. He knew his place in the grand design of things.

And then he had met Shinji...

All of the sudden, those same plans held no meaning, the future once again uncertain, even his own history took new meaning.

Kaoru had no idea if his own Father had plans for Shinji. Unlike Lilith, his Father had made no move for or against this child.

So what did that mean for him?

Kaoru looked at his own wings, a sort of glowing white as had been granted to the First Child.

_What is my path now? What is my purpose? _

For the first time in a while, Kaoru was confused.

He didn't know whether to be grateful or filled with anger at Shinji for doing this to him.


	17. Amalgamation of Problems

**Chapter 17**

**Amalgamation of Problems**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

_Where am I?_

_Who am I?_

_What am I?_

"**Shinji, are you there?"** asked Naoko.

_My mind, I can't remember._

"**Shinji, come back to me,"** pleaded Yui/Reika.

_What is my purpose? Who am I?_

"**Shinji, you must protect my daughter still,"** said Kyoko.

_I know I am different. But why?_

"**Return to yourself, Shinji," **said Azrael.

_I am important, I know that much._

"**Shinji, the path has not been finished,"** said Hoshoni.

_Then what is my purpose?_

"**The world has not been secured," **said Trident.

_I don't know what I am to be._

_Where am I?_

_Who am I?_

_What am I?_

* * *

"Still no changes," muttered Dr. Akagi as she studies Shinji's latest test results. 

"I see," said Asuka, as she observed the medical tube.

"Why do you keep coming here?" asked Ritsuko.

"Simple, the baka still owes me a second date," said the redhead pilot. "And I don't want him to forget it."

"Is that all?' asked Ritsuko as she went through the diagnostics for the chamber. It had never been meant to be used as long as it had been. A few days were understandable, given Shinji's healing rate.

Weeks were another story.

Already, they had been forced to replace several filters, half a dozen pumps, seven lines that had developed leaks...

But no matter how fresh the chemicals, medicine, and supplements inside the medical LCL were, Shinji didn't change.

"So," Asuka said, trying to appear unconcerned, "any idea when he might get up?"

Ritsuko sighed. "You really have it bad for him, don't you?"

"N-n-n-no!" stuttered Asuka. Thinking fast, Asuka tried to turn the tables on the doctor. "Besides, I think you like him the most."

Ritsuko sighed. Why did everyone think that of her? "If he were older, maybe. But I see him as family. You, Rei, and Mana, on the other hand..."

"What do you mean?" growled Asuka. "I'm much better than those two!"

"But Shinji's been on more dates with them than you," added Ritsuko. _Man, I love yanking her chain._

"SO!" yelled out Asuka, as the two women quickly degenerated into a fight of words.

* * *

"**I need a name."**

"I know that," yawned Kensuke, still tired from all of his practice to manipulate and operate the huge bio-mecha he was being asked to pilot.

And as was with realized dreams, he was finding the reality much harder to deal with than his dreams.

"**I am still waiting for my name," **stated the Icarus JA.

"Give me a moment," said Kensuke, once again rubbing his brow.

"**The others got their names quickly," **said the unit. **"Even Trident received his name in less than a week after aligning with his pilot."**

"Fine!" yelled out Kensuke, his mind coming to a old movie he had just been forced to watch with his parents the night before—stating he was becoming too involved with work and not spending enough time with them. "How about Dante?"

"**Dante?"** he said, testing the name out. **"It ... sort of fits. I mean, considering the religious undertones of our current location, the way things seem to take on such tones, Dante seems ... fitting."**

"Okay," Kensuke said, thanking the fact his parents had an obsession for natural disaster movies. "So Dante it is, then.

"Hello, Dante, my name is Kensuke Aida, and I'll be your pilot and partner."

"**Hello, Kensuke. I accept that you are my pilot and partner, and I hope your decisions on the battle field are quicker than those concerning giving me my name."**

"HEY!"

* * *

"So, he finally chose a name," said Sanada, holding out his open palm to Rara, who angrily put in a few thousand yen notes. 

"Idiot couldn't have waited for one more day," he muttered, upset that he had lost the bet on when the boy would finally choose a name for the JA.

Sighing at their antics, Ritsuko marked down the new designation for JA-05.

* * *

Mana sighed as she began to clean up her apartment, before heading over to the airfield for testing on how much the long term effect of the mini-impact were over time. 

Of course, her work was always interrupted by the passing of a mirror in her hallway, and catching sight of the wings on her back, an understated red coloring adorning them. She had to admit they complemented her hair color very well, and in the right light, she could very well pass for an Angel as they were thought of before Second Impact.

But the cost was not something that was sitting well with her, or any other person that knew the truth. After all, she was going to reach this point anyway. Shinji had told her that her S2 organ was developing nicely anyway, and she would have achieved her own wings within three months.

"I have them early, and all it cost me was my friend," she muttered, staring once again into the mirror.

Her mind kept drifting back to the dates she used to go on with Shinji, finally coming to what could have been called their warped first date: their time together during the attack of the Ninth Angel. She could still feel his arms holding her as they flew to the airfield to retrieve Trident, could still see his eyes as she looked into them as they recovered from the first sortie.

It had been a long time since she felt like a normal teenage girl, and not a pilot that fought enemies of humanity.

She felt normal when around him; he treated her normally as well.

But it was more than just feeling normal around him, it was the fact that he treated everyone—well, everyone except his father—as someone special, even the angry German girl.

It really improved how one saw themselves when he was near you.

And now ... he was laid up inside a regeneration tank for over a few weeks, and he had yet to show signs of improvement.

She had visited him a few times since then. But it was like seeing an injured relative whom you knew would not get better. Every time she visited, it seemed to hurt her a little more, as if she was watching him fade away, and there was nothing she or anyone else could do.

The one time they needed Shinji to pull his famous ability to generate a miracle one more time, and he couldn't seem to be able to do it, even for himself.

"Please come back soon, Shinji," she said, tears beginning to track down her face. "We need you.

"I ... need you."

The apartment would not be fully cleaned that day.

* * *

In an old warehouse sat the tools of darkness. 

The floor had been dug out, now replaced with a deep pool, and filled to the brim with LCL. Inside the pool floated several large chunks, each resembling a piece used within an Evangelion, arranged in such a way that should they have been attached, one would assume this Frankenstein would be a viable Eva.

But this was not the case. Inside the center of this Eva rested a broken and cracked core, used in earlier test models. Currently, it sat within the chest of this beast, a large metal pole plunged deep into it.

The pole raised from the dismembered beast into the roof, climbing even higher until it reached a height only reserved for one thing: a lightning rod.

A single man was all that was left of the robotic crews that had labored since the Twelfth Angel to make this place. SEELE knew from the scrolls that the Thirteenth would seek out an EVA to absorb, to use to attack the Egg of Lilith. But SEELE did not wish to lose one of their MP Evas. That would reveal much to the world they were not ready for.

NERV would be on guard, their measures ensuring the Angel could not sneak into their base, as SEELE suspected the Eleventh had.

So, that left one choice: make the Angel a body much easier to take, and close enough to NERV to make the decision easy.

It was even perfect in deniability. After all, it wasn't the fault of anyone but the fools hired earlier to destroy the old Eva parts, not simply dump them in an abandoned warehouse.

Smirking, the man opened his briefcase, revealing several vials that contained sampled of the previous Angels, as well as three data storage devices with interface cables.

After all, it never hurts to sweeten the pot.

Grabbing them, he hurled them onto the chest of the patchwork Eva, listening with glee as the vials shattered near the core; the data devices needing to be touching the core itself.

"Enjoy, Bardiel," he cackled, as he left the building, locking it up, and heading to his car.

A rumble of thunder caught his attention, as he saw a storm build in the sky. "Hope you like it."

* * *

As the storm raged, a single word escaped the lips of the silent pilot, as he floated in the LCL. 

"Bardiel," he said, before he fell back to his old readings.

The Thirteenth had arrived, and he was growing ready to strike.

* * *

In the sky over Tokyo-3 floated the form of Kaoru, his angelic wings fluttering enough to keep him airborne. 

His mind was anything but peaceful.

In his new form, he could not deny many truths now revealed to him.

As before, he had always had an S2 organ. It was part of who and what he was. He accepted that, accepted what he was and what he would be called on to perform. It was supposed to be a part of his destiny that was beyond his ability to control, to influence, to stop.

But that was all changed. Those rules and limits he had long since grown accustomed to were gone.

And he was left in the unknown.

Part of him thrived on it, relished in the fact his free will was nearly all-consuming of his life.

But another part of him feared the changes.

He still was of Adam, of that there was no doubt. Though his S2 organ had been modified by Shinji's mini-Impact, it was still there, still functioning, still connecting him to the All-Soul of the All-Father.

But he was now of Lilith as well. He could feel a connection to the lilim, even those not changed by Shinji, though their voices rang weak, almost too weak to hear.

But he was long since accustomed to hearing the singing of their souls. It was as common to him as the sounds of their own voices were to the Lilith.

It was the fact that the connection was more like his connection to the Children of Adam that scared him so.

_I am as much of them now as I am of the All-Father. I am now connected to their ... no, my All-Mother as well._

_I am ... of a group, no longer unique or alone._

_This is very confusing. Many things I believed are being obscured before me._

_And I find myself ...fearful. How very strange._

Taking in a deep breath, and slowly releasing it, he cast his eyes down towards the streets. He could still make out the myriad of lilims as they made their ways to whatever tasks they had that day, many still shocked at their new appearances, many more seeming to no longer cared.

It was easy to spot those who had been frail or dying before Shinji's Impact. They simply looked around, enjoying mobility again, health, freedom, the single gift of enjoying life was theirs once again, and they would not waste it.

"Should I be acting as such?" he asked no one in particular. "Should I not be enjoying this gift, instead of debating its merits?"

He shook his head. _Shinji-kun, while I wanted my life to be exciting, I find myself questioning my existence way too much to be of a healthy issue._

Shaking his head, Kaoru looked around, spotting a park that would be soon filled with lilim wishing to enjoy the day. Perhaps spending some time near them would help him understand this new part to himself. Observation had always been his strong suit.

Perhaps, maybe he would even teach some of them to enjoy flight as he now could. At the very least, it would create grand songs within their souls.

* * *

Within the warehouse, the pool of LCL was being disturbed, as the main body expanded slightly, little tendrils of flesh snaking out, seeking the other pieces, as the puzzle creature slowly pulled itself together, the call already ringing in its ears.

* * *

"**I must admit, Asuka, you do seem to harbor feelings for Shinji."**

Asuka sighed again. _Really mother, as if I don't get enough teasing about such things from the others._

"**Really daughter,"** said Kyoko, **"don't claim ignorance with me. We are literally a part of each other inside here.** **So don't play the fool on my account. I know you have feelings for the boy."**

Asuka sputtered, nearly choking on the LCL inside the entry plug. "It's nothing like that, I swear!" she yelled out, forgetting that she usually communicated with her mother's soul by mental communication to assure a more private conversation ... and keep people from thinking she was mentally unstable.

"**Oh, and what about those dreams you have about him?"**

"How do you know about those?"

"**I share your surface memories, remember. The fact I was just fishing and caught something proves I am right. You like the nice Ikari boy!"** squealed the soul.

Asuka blushed, turning her head to the side, still believing her Mother was before her, and not all around her.

"**Well, better him than that Kaji guy. At least Shinji is closer to your age group."**

"HEY!"

* * *

Several techs were monitoring the "test" that the Second Child was undergoing, trying to see what if any impact had occurred on them from Shinji's Impact. 

"You ever wonder what they're talking about?" asked Makoto.

Shigeru shrugged. "Not likely that we'd understand," he said, turning towards Maya. "You got any clues?"

"Boys."

"Boys?" asked the two males.

Maya nodded. "Look at her blushing. They've got to be talking about boys, and I think her Mother is teasing her about it."

"See," said Shigeru, motioning to Maya, "when you have questions about females, ask one."

"HEY!"

* * *

Kozo stood before Unit 01, looking into its face. While he had received the "blessing" as they seemed to be calling it, he still looked the same, save for a few less wrinkles, and he could have sworn his hair was starting to show signs of its former color. 

But those thoughts were far from his mind. His thoughts rested on one thing and one thing alone.

His student's view of him.

_Yui, I don't know if you can hear me; I'm not even certain if you'd want to._

_I know you're disappointed in me. I failed you in many ways. I failed you as a sensei, I failed you as the Godfather to your son, and I failed to keep him safe from Gendo's plans, keep the part of you in Rei safe from his dark dreams._

_I know you always thought of me like a father-figure, Yui. I accepted that a long time ago. I did and still do love you, never doubt that. I may have blamed myself for allowing Gendo near you, to allow what he has become to continue._

_I wish I could offer you a reason other than I hoped it was right. I can't lie. I knew many things we were doing was wrong. I knew ... and I followed him anyway._

_I still agree now, knowing what I know, the world just wasn't ready for the truth of what happened in Antarctica. At the time, it would have merely fractioned the small cohesion that humanity had been forced to acquire._

_But now ... I believe that your son's dreams have told us one thing: SEELE has led us directly into the prophecy of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They awoke Adam from his sleep, just for their own lusts for power, their own fears of their mortality._

_They truly fear your son, Yui. They've tried to eliminate him twice, and I've taken every measure I know of to ensure they can't strike him now at his weakest._

_I know it doesn't make up for what I did allow to happen to him. But I truly did believe it would be best if he wasn't around Gendo. I was just grateful he ended up with a couple that kept his secret from Gendo as long as they did._

_I also made certain they faced no ill will for doing such. I know Gendo has a thing for revenge, no matter how petty._

_But things are still looking worse, Yui. We have four Angels left, and I know SEELE is planning to weaken us, even with all the support we've received from the world at large. I know the old men won't let this go; they've become obsessed with their attaining godhood._

_If I could, I'd bury them, let the world view their sins._

_But sadly, this isn't the time for that. Only after the last Angel is defeated can we do that, or public opinion would turn against us, even if we are what protects them. They'd try and remove NERV, and the Angels would win._

_So, we're forced to wait. We wait until the Angels are all destroyed, hoping that Shinji will be strong enough to ascend the rest of the world, so even Adam and Lilith can be removed from this life._

_And then this world can become one of hope once again._

_I do hope though that in this, Shinji can even restore you to your old body._

_I would like to apologize in person for my sins, and maybe ask that if you ever could, perhaps one day forgive me._

He turned, his peace said, his heart a bit lighter. It helped lift the burdens a bit from his shoulders, giving him strength to once more face the decisions and fights he would need to face until the end.

It was all he had hoped for.

"**Thank you for saying that, Sensei."**

He didn't even stop as he heard Yui's voice in his head. He just smiled, taking it as a sign that while Yui may not have forgiven him, at least she was willing to listen.

That gave him more strength than he had had in a long while.

* * *

"Will he wake up soon, big brother?" 

Sighing, Toji looked down at his sister. It had been a hassle to get her into the lab to see Shinji; the doctor vouching for them by saying that if Shinji was in a coma-like state, then perhaps hearing those that he both cared about and whom cared for him speaking to him might help bring him out. "He will soon, Naru. You've just got to believe he will."

The little girl nodded, before putting her hand against the glass of the tube he was in. "Wake up soon, Shinji-kun," she said. "We still have a date to go on."

"HEY!" screamed Toji. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means Shinji-kun is supposed to take me on a date cause he promised."

"Like hell you will," growled Toji. "My sister is not dating my friends."

"I'm not dating your friends," stated Naru.

"O...kay," said Toji.

"I'm just dating one, Shinji-kun."

"HEY!" he screamed, chasing her out of the room.

Within a minute, Naru returned, before blowing a kiss towards the tube. "Come back soon, Shinji, before my brother can stop us from dating!"

"THERE YOU ARE!" came the wild voice of said brother, as he chased his giggling sister down the hallway.

* * *

Inside the warehouse, the form of the Angel/Eva was completely pulled together. The once damaged core slowly sank into another larger core, until it too disappeared. 

The patchwork Angel changed as well, absorbing the gifts of its previous brethren. As such, the armor was shifting as well, as flesh moved in its place, slowly crystallizing into a new form, yet doing nothing to disguise itself as a single entity.

What it appeared as was of no consequence. All that mattered was doing what it needed to do.

Bardiel would soon find the All-Father, and bring about the world for what was meant to be.

* * *

_What am I?_

_Where am I?_

_What is my purpose?_

"**Shinji?"**

_If I do not have a purpose, then do I have a reason to be?_

_Why can I not remember anything?_

_There was a light, a fear, a strength within me that grew too quickly._

"**Wake up, Shinji."**

_I remember ... anger. I remember rage._

_I remember the need to destroy what hurt me._

_I remember red eyes._

"**Can you hear us, Shinji?"**

_But it doesn't make any sense._

_I remember seeing those red eyes and feeling hope, faith, love, kindness._

_But I also remember seeing those eyes, and feeling pain, hatred, obsession, darkness._

"**Come back to us, Shinji."**

_What does it all mean?_

_What does it mean to me?_

_What is my purpose?_

"**Please return to us, Shinji."**

* * *

At the abandoned warehouse, enough time had passed, as far as the Angel was concerned. It was strong enough to move, its core was fully generated, and the armor formed. 

Now, all that remained was standing up, and walking towards the call.

* * *

As the Angel awoke, the area was soon consumed by a blast of energy as the AT Field reached peak intensity, mirroring the explosion of an N2 mine in the abandoned city.

* * *

Rei sat inside Unit 00, undergoing her own synchronization test. 

But like Asuka, she was having her own conversation with the only person who would be brutally honest with her.

_I do not believe I am even capable of protecting him._

"**Sure, take the easy way out,"** spat Naoko. **"We all know that's exactly what Gendo would do, and you are still his doll, no matter how much you pretend to grow."**

_I am not a doll._

"**Could have fooled me,"** spat Naoko. **"You know as well as I do that you cannot protect someone all the time when they charge head first into danger. Shinji will not stand by and conform to being safe when others risk themselves. And you are only left with doing what you can to protect him when you can."**

_It still feels as if I have failed him._

"**I know that feeling. Do you think I wanted my daughter tied up in this shit,"** said Naoko, her voice taking on a tone of sadness. **"I fell because of my own stupidity; a genetic fault I fear my daughter developed when I was placed inside here.**

"**If you are so consumed with protecting a person who neither wants nor usually needs such protections, then the best you can hope for is that others feel the same. If not, then you will be crushed under the weight you are placing upon your own shoulders."**

_I will consider your words._

"**You had better. You said it yourself I was the only person at the moment you could discuss this with."**

_Sadly it is true. Despite the fact you killed my first incarnation._

"**I was insane at the time!"**

_It scarred me for life._

"**I said I was sorry!"**

_I still hear the cracking of my little neck at times._

"**You're messing with me, aren't you?"**

_Yes, but I don't see how that changes anything._

Rei released a small smile. She had been able to develop a small connection with Naoko. She could freely admit now that Gendo had been hoping to use her to force the dear doctor away, rather than confront the situation himself, fearful of how the doctor would react.

He may have had a right to be afraid, as Rei I was killed and Naoko was sealed within the core of Unit 00.

She realized these thoughts and emotions were all due to Shinji. Before his arrival in her life, she would never have doubted the dogma Gendo spoke of.

Now, she truly felt sick that she'd ever been a party to his madness. It was hard not to see him as a sicker person than Naoko.

And with Rei no longer being swayed by Gendo, Naoko had no more reason to resist her.

"**The others were right; you have a very weird sense of humor now."**

_Thank you, Dr. Akagi._

Still, some things never change.

But their conversation was cut short, as the Angel Alert Sirens started to sound.

* * *

"Location!" screamed Misato. 

The bridge bunnies were busy at their stations. "Confirmed," yelled Makoto, "it's ten kilometers out and closing!"

"Get those screens up!" yelled Misato towards Rara and Sanada.

Sanada was busy at his station, raising the emitters out of their protective casings, as the air shimmered around Tokyo-3. Soon, the emitters reached full charge, and the air flashed as the shielding was erected. "We have full shields, now holding at one hundred percent. JA-00, 01, and 02 are online!"

"And how are they supposed to fight the Angel through the barrier?" asked Kaji.

"The same way an Angel can," said Ritsuko, as she went preparing the Evangelions for launch. "The fields keep things out, not in."

Rara nodded. "The internal fields for the Geo-Front are online! Trident is on its way, Mana was already there for testing."

"Can she get in?' asked Misato.

"If we collapse the field near her enough for her to pass, and reinforce it before the Angel can get through, then yeah," said Sanada.

"Prepare Unit 01 for the Dummy Plug System."

The bridge went silent, as many turned to face the Commander, sitting in his chair. "But sir," said Ritsuko, "it's not ready. We have no idea how it will react to the changes inside the Evas!"

"Be that as it may," said Gendo, "I doubt it will allow him to be harmed. Prepare the Evas for sortie inside the Geo-Front in case it breeches the barrier."

"Shouldn't we put them on the surface, Ikari?" asked Kozo.

"If the Angel is capable of getting through two defense screens and four JA units, it is doubtful the armor we have will be of much use. If so, then the best we could do is have it attacked within the Geo-Front."

The others slowly went back to their work. The idea of an Angel getting that close to them truly frightened some.

"We've got visual!' cried Shigeru.

The screen changed, showing a creature floating in the skies, ravaged wings holding it up.

"My God," said Misato, "it looks like someone already got to it."

In the air, the Angel hung, ragged white wings somewhat tinged with red flowed from its back. The armor seemed to be of every standard color used. There was white green, blue, and yellow. Some of it looked more like it was simply fused onto it rather than placed there for a particular caring reason.

"It's a Frankenstein monster," gasped Maya.

A beeping drew her back to the console. "Its energy readings are amassing upon themselves!"

"What?" screamed Misato.

* * *

Above the city, the Angel smiled with its crooked teeth, no real eyes to speak of, as it opened its mouth, and released the power granted to it by the Fifth Angel.

* * *

The field lit up in a spectacular display, as the energy from the Angel's particle attack struck the field of the emitters. The fusion plants diverted more power to maintain the shield, as they strained against the forces pitted against them. 

Finally, the Angel stopped.

"What the hell happened?' asked Misato.

Maya worked her console. "That shot dropped the shields thirty two percent!"

"Return fire, all batteries!" yelled Misato. If the Angel could continue to pull shots like that out, it would breech the shield in no time, and the power to do that would cut through the armor like it wasn't even there.

The City Defense network kicked into gear, facing its first real test since the new technology and changes were implemented.

Instead of wasting time with more ordnance that wouldn't hurt the Angels, they concentrated on redoing the system to use high energy weapons to try and at least weaken the AT Fields. The energies lashed out against their targets, as the JA Goliath units released their own weapons, sending a deadly hail of energy into the sky and directed at one target.

And it showed no signs of even straining under the assault.

"That's impossible!" yelled Ritsuko. "That amount of energy was eight times what we used against the Fifth Angel. It should have breeched the AT Field!"

"It's preparing to fire again!"

* * *

In the skies flew JA-03: Trident. 

"**Mana, I've located the target. It appeared to be preparing to fire again."**

Mana smirked. "Well, let's teach it not to open its mouth like that.

"Prepare a full discharge on my mark!"

"**Understood. Main weapon ready. Enemy will fire in three ... two ...one."**

"Fire!"

* * *

As the Angel opened its mouth to strike once again, a second beam of energy struck it from across the city, making it turn its body a different direction, as the beam of energy struck the ground in front of the city, and traveled up the mountains and into the artificial lakes. 

The ground erupted in a massive explosion, as if a string of small N2 mines had been released, the lake itself vaporized in a tremendous mushroom cloud.

"Hope no one had any plans for fishing for a while," joked Kaji.

"Ma'am," said Makoto, "if that blast goes through the armor, it'll take out the internal fields inside the Geo-Front. The Angel will have a clear path."

"Status of Trident?" asked Rara, worried about his pilot.

"She's inside the field," stated Shigeru. "Her avionics are damaged."

"The wind from the concussive blast got her," said Sanada, having seen the unit slammed into the defense screen by the surging winds of the explosion. "But the strength to get through her own field..."

"She must have diverted more power to the blast than she thought," said Rara.

The lights dimmed again, as the Angel was able to connect with the third shot, its body only slightly charred from when Mana's shot hit.

"Shields are down to seventeen percent!" called out Makoto. "The Defense Grid's not getting through!"

"Why?" yelled out Sanada, pounding his fist into the table, before looking over the incoming sensor readings, and paling. "It's acting with counter measures!" he screamed. "It knows what to do to avoid damage from our assault!"

"How is that possible?" yelled Kozo.

"It would appear the old men are more determined than ever to eliminate us," said Gendo.

No one was able to ask what he meant, before a fourth shot was fired.

* * *

The five Eva units, one JA-Goliath unit and the newly named Icarus unit now called Dante looked on as a beam of light shot from the roof above, impacting into the ground, and drilling a few hundred meters into it, followed by the crashing of one of the buildings from the roof city. The internal defense screen of the Geo-Front shimmered all around; making it look as it the wall was nothing more than glass, before it dispersed with an audible pop. 

"Looks like we have a gate crasher," proclaimed Toji, glad his sister was in one of the more secure shelters.

"_This is Sanada! You must alter all tactics and field frequencies now! The Angel has adapted to current settings!"_

"What do you mean?" yelled out Asuka.

"_Somehow the Angel was equipped with what it needed to know to avoid our measures against them,"_ said Sanada. _"Use the new programs; they're your only hopes!"_

"Great," muttered Toji, "those assholes from the incidents with the Ninth Angel must have stolen the blueprints!"

"Then it is a good thing we have evolved our procedures since then," stated Kaoru, altering several key system frequencies, as well as the positron rifle he was currently sporting.

Slowly, the Angel began to descend through the hole, its crooked teeth given its rendition of a smile.

"Here it comes," said Rei, her hand tightening on the control yokes. _I will try to protect Shinji as he would wish me to; by protecting everyone!_

"**Now you're beginning to understand," **said Naoko.

The Angel's descent was cut short however, as a beam of energy came from the hole, slamming into it and sending it into the ground.

"Did you forget about me, you patchwork freak?" yelled out Mana, Trident slowly descending from the hole as well, its damaged avionics causing it to spiral in a wide arc.

Before she got too far, a energy whip shot from the dust cloud, wrapping itself around her leg, before it began to swing her towards the waiting Evas.

Kaoru moved quickly, catching Trident as it shot across the ground. "Are you well?"

"Yeah," muttered Mana. "The bastard got me by surprise. I think it damaged my leg."

They had little time to wonder, as the Angel shot out from the cloud, a whip on each forearm, as it dashed towards the Evas.

"Look out!" cried Rei, as the group dived towards the side. However, one was frozen, not used to the rigors of combat.

Kensuke could only stare forward, the true enormity of the situation striking him.

This was real, and in a real battle, people not only could and often did get hurt, they could and often did die.

"**MOVE DAMN YOU!" **cried out Dante. **"MOVE!"**

Finally, Kensuke was jogged out of his fear to try and dodge to the side.

Unfortunately, the Angel was quicker, and grabbed his free leg, the whip slithering around the unit and delivering a massive charge.

"AHHHH!" screamed Kensuke, as the pain of the JA was translated into him, his fear stopping him from using all of his previous training.

The others moved to assist, but the Angel had been waiting for that, spinning around and tossing Kensuke into Unit 01, sending both into the ground.

Kaoru began to blast it with his rifle, but the Angel raced towards him, ignoring the fact that its armor was being dug into by the positron rifle; its twin whips soon encircling both the neck of the Eva and its waist, before it directed another large surge of energy into the systems.

Kaoru fought not to scream, not to give into the pain, and suffer for Hoshoni.

"LET HIM GO YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" cried Asuka as Unit 02 checked the Angel in the side, sending it into the ground, as it released Unit 04. She released her progressive knife, holding it in the ready position, waiting for the Angel to stand up and resume the fight.

"Kaoru, you okay?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the Angel.

"I think so, but I can't move. I think the systems took some damage," he weakly responded.

"Try and work around it, we'll keep the freak off you," she stated, tired of waiting for the Angel to move, before rushing in to try and finish it off.

Sadly, the Angel had been waiting for that.

And it didn't need to wait any longer.

* * *

"Status?" yelled out Misato. 

"Dante is offline," yelled Rara.

"Evangelions 04 and 01 are down. The Dummy Plug is offline!" screamed Maya.

"Dante was still charged when he hit," said Ritsuko, "it fried several relays!"

"What about JA-04?"

The screen flashed as the Angel released a point-blank attack on the JA, its whips piercing its hide.

Sanada sank, hoping the AI was still safe, as the towering mecha slumped to the ground, its fusion core ruptured, the safeties barely keeping it from melting down into an explosive finale.

All in the bridge could only look at the battle and believe one thing.

This was very bad, and could only get worse.

* * *

Asuka was dodging for her life, trying to get in a good shot on the Angel, as it weaved from her attacks. _The bastard moves like Shinji._

It was then that it hit her. They just didn't steal the design specs.

They stole the simulation data.

They **were** fighting Shinji, as well as every other pilot whose data was inside the simulators.

"It's using the simulator data!" cried out Asuka, as the tendrils connected to her unit, piercing her left arm and upper chest, before they delivered their shock.

Soon, Unit 02 slumped to the ground, out of commission, and slightly smoking where the voltage was enough to fry flesh.

* * *

Rei stared at the Angel, only her, Toji, and Mana remained. Asuka's yell had added a final piece of the puzzle, the Angel was too smart for its own good, using the test data each pilot had generated in preparation to upgrade the defense grid for the city. 

There odds had now truly taken a nose dive.

"That thing has Shinji inside it!" gasped Toji.

"Just his simulation data," corrected Rei, as the Angel took a ready stance, using Asuka's own progressive knife.

"Might as well be him," said Mana.

"We cannot let this Angel continue," said Rei, trying to sound as cold and authoritative as possible. "We will need to rely more on the Units themselves than our own instincts," she said. "The data will only carry how we might react, not how the units will react."

"So we let them go on auto-pilot and hope for the best?" asked Toji.

"**Fine with me,"** said Azrael.

"**We are so screwed,"** said Naoko. **"You're trusting the fate of everything to a doctor with a death wish and two souls with less life experience than you,"** she said, causing Rei to twitch.

"Why not," said Toji. "They trust kids to save the world."

"Let's just do this," said Mana, slightly enjoying the humor of the joke.

The three units attacked, 03 and 00 taking the lead due to Trident's damage.

Naoko struck with her progressive knife, forcing the Angel to block with its own, as Toji struck the side with his. Sparks continued to shoot out from the impact as the three struggled for dominance, as Mana got in point blank range, her cannon right at the Angel's mouth.

"Open wide and say "ah", asshole!" she screamed, as Trident released all its energy into the assault.

The Angel had no plans to go down that easy, opening its mouth to release its own blast.

The two waves of energy met at point blank range, the powers colliding, mingling, and finally reaching critical mass, before exploding.

* * *

The area was filled with a bright light, as a force above even an N2 explosion ripped apart the landscape. 

The Evas held on for dear life, their AT Fields staving off the worst of the effects, while keeping the AT Field of the Angel down.

Trident was not as lucky, having shunted as much energy as it could into the channel for the shot. It was sent back by the concussive force, ripping the armor from the front, and frying several key systems.

Mana was fortunate at the time, as the initial attack had rendered her unconscious.

"Did we get it?" Toji yelled out, the sound of the blast still loud enough to even reach inside the plugs.

Their answer was each unit being pierced in the side by whips, before their worlds were cut off by the pain of the Angel's shock.

The light dimmed as the two Evangelions slumped to the ground, the Angel still alive, no new damage done to it.

Slowly, it turned towards the pyramid of NERV once again, its face still in the maniacal smile, as it trudged towards its final target.

It would not be denied.

* * *

"It's broken through the outer wall!" cried out Makoto. "It's heading for us!" 

"Evacuate Central Dogma, NOW!" cried Misato. _This is bad; this is very very bad!_

The crew began to send operations to the backup bridge terminals. Even with an Angel heading for them, they managed to maintain their cools long enough to do that.

Sadly, the Angel would not wait, as it burst through the front wall, causing the holographic displays to short out in a shower of sparks, metal, and wiring.

"Oh my god," whispered Misato, as many of the crew were shocked immobile as the Angel crawled forward, it's face still seeming to smile, those crooked teeth mocking them.

Soon, it sat before Central Dogma, the crew still frozen in fear, as its mouth began to open, the orifice slowly beginning to glow as it powered its energy weapon.

Kaji smiled, as he finally knew what to do.

He grabbed Misato, and spun her around, his back to the Angel, his arms wrapped protectively around her. Trying desperately to recall everything Shinji's notes had said about realizing his own AT Field, he threw everything he had into it, as he stared into Misato's eyes.

He had little doubt he would survive the Angel's attack.

But if he was able to save Misato, then perhaps his life had meaning to her; more than anything he could have done to prove his true feelings otherwise.

_I really am like her father, aren't I? _"I love you," he whispered, as he noticed her eyes displaying the realization of what he was doing.

"I love you," she admitted, as she watched the light of the Angel's attack begin to fill the room.

And then, the attack was discharged.

* * *

Below them, away from the battle, the fear, and the hope, floated the figure of their savior. His brow furled a bit, as the voices rang deeper and louder. 

The voices all sounded as one, no limits, no way to tell the participants of the chorus. Just their message, a message they would not let him ignore.

"**Shinji...**

"**SHINJI...**

"**SHINJI! WAKE UP NOW!"**

Finally, the message was heard, the savior responded.

Opening his eyes, they shifted from their usual blue to red, his hair going for the brownish black to a pure white, before his eyes joined it.

And as was Central Dogma, the medical lab was soon bathed in light as well.

* * *

The others cringed as the expected death was released. Many were recalling their lives, as was a common thing when you knew death was literally a heartbeat away. 

Missed opportunities.

The chance to help someone out.

The facts of what evils they had done for others.

The loved ones they would never get to say goodbye to.

All thought of these were running through the minds of the staff on the main bridge.

Except for one: Gendo Ikari.

As each of the Evangelions fell, the Jet Alones fell, he kept his faith.

As the patchwork Angel penetrated the Geo-Front and eventually the Pyramid, he kept his faith.

And as death literally sat meters away from him, he still believed.

And as the attack was literally stopped by a white field of energy not more than six meters from its source, he realized that his faith had been rewarded.

Before them, in the direct path of the attack, holding the white field up, was a figure ... with six wings.

"**Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to enter someone's home uninvited?"**

The figures inside Dogma slowly blinked, as they realized that death was not coming for them today.

Well, it had been, but it had been denied its prize.

Slowly, as the light of the attack began to grow dim, the white field polarizing the light a bit, their faces lit up with smiles.

Within the field, floated the figure they now could recognize by heart. It was male, had white hair, red eyes, six wings ... and looked very pissed.

Sanada smiled, slight tears coming from his eyes as he realized he would still be able to kiss his daughter tonight before she went to bed. "The kid really is a miracle on his own."

"**Now,"** said the floating form of Shinji, **"I think it's time you ... LEAVE!"** he cried, as the field seemed to shrink a bit, before it flew forward at blinding speeds, taking the Angel with it.

Slowly the figure began to float down, smiling. **"I think I will leave it to them now. I feel tired."**

With that, the figure dispersed into a thousand motes of light, before the crew could utter a word.

"Um," said Rara, "now what?"

Shigeru smiled as he reactivated his terminal. "Now we watch the Angel learn what NERV does to solicitors."

Through it all, Gendo continued to smile. _Things are proceeding quite nicely._

* * *

In the medical lab, the light dimmed completely, as the world resumed. Within moments, Shinji's hair and eyes returned to their previous colors, as his eyes slowly closed. 

The only difference remaining was a smile etched on his face.

* * *

"Please, mama, MOVE!" cried Asuka, as she continued to pull the control yokes of the damaged Eva. 

Her home was in danger.

Her family—no matter how dysfunctional—and friends were in danger.

Shinji ... was in danger.

"Please," she begged, tears beginning to flow into the LCL, "please move."

Finally, power returned to the entry plug.

"Thank you, mama," Asuka smiled, the tears continuing.

But two things stopped those tears.

One was the sight of the Thirteenth Angel being literally blown from the Pyramid, sliding into the ground, and forming a deep trench as the speed it had been ejected was reduced by the friction of the landscape.

The second was that Unit 02 was moving towards it ... without her control.

"Mama?' she asked, unsure of what was occurring.

She tried to reassert control, to stop their movement. When that failed, she tried to open her mind and feel what her mother was thinking.

And she immediately pulled back, fighting hard not to vomit inside the plug.

Kyoko was pissed, and she was determined to make the Angel feel her wrath.

So involved with her own dilemma, she failed to note that the other Evangelions and the two Icarus-class Jet Alones were trudging to it as well.

And she knew what was on their minds, if she dared to speak beyond her own heart-wrenching peek.

They were all pissed, and determined that this being would feel that wrath.

How far it would go was not going to be a pretty sight.

* * *

As Bardiel impacted the ground, the Angel soon discovered that its AT Field was now gone, as the debris tore into its now exposed hide. As it dug into the dirt and what had once been a lush forest, the armored hide along its corrupted frame was ripped from it, revealing its flesh to the unforgiving ground. 

It tried to stand up as it considered what had attacked it. It knew it wasn't the real being, more a projection of its will.

Its very strong and painful will, which had blasted the patchwork Angel half a kilometer into the dirt.

It had barely begun to try and understand just what had occurred, let alone what to do now.

Sadly for Bardiel, these decisions were quickly taken from its control.

A black armored hand grabbed the white armored arm of the Angel, crushing it in its grip as it pulled the abomination out of the trench.

As the Angel screamed in pain, it felt its head being violently pulled towards the side.

It had only a moment to look into the face of its head executioner. The purple face stared at it, its jaw restraints free and producing a slight smile, as the purple entity known as Yui Ikari and Unit 01 gave into the primal rage all Evangelions contained.

Inside the Units with pilots, the viewing monitors inside the plugs deactivated.

All of the souls agreed, that the carnage was not something the children should ever be exposed to.

* * *

Kaji found himself in a position he was not used to. 

He was before someone he would not lie to, and someone he could expect to fully judge him.

Only this time, Kaji knew he would be found lacking.

"I never got the chance to thank you," said Kaji, staring at the person.

"You see, I could claim business ... but that doesn't seem right. You've always been busier than me."

Smiling, he ran his hand over the glass separating him from the man of the moment. "You know, it's funny in a way. Katsuragi has always been torn between what we have, and her fear and hatred over what her Father was.

"And yet," he sighed, "she ended up with a man just like him; a man who would gladly sacrifice himself in a moment to ensure she would live a moment more."

Shaking his head, Kaji tilted his head back, staring into the immobile face of their greatest weapon against the Angels, and perhaps, even the men who were more dangerous. "You've given a great gift, Shinji Ikari, and I plan to use it wisely."

Smiling, Kaji left the room, intent on finding the woman he loved, and praying to whatever controlled the fates, that his resolve would not only be as strong as it had been before Bardiel fired, but Misato's mind would be just as unclouded as it had been then as well.

* * *

"Well?" 

Sighing, Ritsuko turned back towards Sub Commander Fuyutsuki. She had been hoping Rara and Sanada would arrive to take some of the heat off her. Hell, Maya or even Makoto would help, as they were coming with the reports of the structural and infrastructure damage to the city. "We have severe armor damage, severe needs of decontamination from where they ... dealt ... with the Angel after Shinji evicted it from HQ. Several relays are going to need replaced in every unit.

"And that's just the light stuff."

"How long?"

Ritsuko looked over her reports. "Just to identify what needs done or to actually do it."

"That bad?"

"Worse."

The two turned to see Sanada, Rara, Maya, Makoto, and Shigeru walking up to them; Sanada having told them his response.

Sighing and shaking his head, the man removed his glasses and began his report. "The Goliath series held up pretty well, but most of their locations will need extensive repairs, and JA-04 will need a new power system. The Angel assault fused most of the fusion reactor control systems."

"The Icarus-types aren't much better," said Rara. "We have Trident and Dante undergoing full decontamination procedures, plus both will need extensive repairs to their onboard systems and armor. When they helped rip Frankenstein's Angel apart, they only made their damage worse."

"Shield relays on the surface will need full replacement," said Maya. "Most of what we have up there now is just scrap."

"The ceiling shielding isn't much better," said Shigeru. "The armor plating is already being replaced, but the electromagnetic shield is toast. It'll need to be replaced as well."

Makoto looked at his notes. "We're looking at the earliest, two weeks before repairs to the Geo-Front will be complete, and that's only if we put all of our resources to only doing that."

"Maybe not," said Sanada. "I've had a few contacts still left in the UN. We might be able to pull in some extra help, get the maintenance robots from the other NERV bases here within a day, maybe even pull in some from other UN bases."

"They'd help us?" asked Ritsuko, surprised the UN would even care about them. NERV barely even touched what the UN now budgeted for them.

Rara smiled. "They will unless they want our dear ex-wife to launch the world's biggest PR battle with them."

Sanada nodded. "Remember, with the broadcasts of the battles, the released technology, and even the marketing she's done, the world sees us as heroes. If it looks like the World Government isn't supporting us, the people will react ... badly."

Kozo blinked. "You just suggested we hold the world hostage."

Sanada smiled. "And Ayuko didn't believe I could make it in politics."

Rara snorted. "If I remember, didn't your excellent skills have you losing more in your one divorce from her than I ever did in three?"

"I HAD MORE!"

"A likely story."

"Gentlemen," said Kozo, trying to advert another fight between the two eternal rivals. "We have other matters at hand. If we get this help, we need to make certain the hidden benefactors don't slip in their helpers again."

"Easy enough," said Rara. "We've got several systems to scan incoming helpers. We just need to get them powered up, and defendable enough to stop a kamikaze attack."

"Then do it!" ordered Kozo. "We are hardly in a position to launch a spit wad at an Angel, let alone stop it."

The others took off to their assignments, but one.

"And Shinji?" asked Kozo.

Ritsuko shook her head. "The video footage showed him reacting when we saw him on the Bridge, but the sensors showed no change."

"The way he looked," said Kozo, before shaking his head sadly. "He's becoming one, isn't he?"

Ritsuko stayed quiet, choosing that moment to head to her own tasks.

How could she tell him, or anyone else for that matter, that Shinji might be becoming a Seed like Adam or Lilith?

If so, that meant Shinji was slowly becoming an Angel.

And that meant ... he might become the enemy as well.

* * *

Gendo stared at the face of Unit 01, his wings out, and his mind focused on one thing: to make contact. No matter what, his son's interference with the original scenario had produced results that the Commander could live with, as it brought him closer to his goal of having Yui returned to him. 

But his brow began to crease. _What is the problem, why isn't this working?_

"**Because I do not wish to talk to you, Gendo."**

The man blinked. He had heard a voice in his head ... speak in his wife's voice. _Yui?_

"**Did you really think I would be okay with everything you've done?"**

_What do you mean?_

"**You planned to destroy our son, made a tool of poor Rei. Hell, you fucked those Akagi women!"**

_But it was all for you!_

"**No, Gendo. It was all for you. You took my gifts to you, and made them worthless. **

"**What happened to the man I fell in love with? The man who cried the day our son was born, who swore on his life that our family would be a loving one?"**

_I haven't changed!_

"**Look at what you did to Shinji after I was absorbed, and tell me that.**

"**Now leave me, Gendo. I can't stand the sight of you right now."**

Eyes wide in disbelief, Gendo Ikari trudged out of the holding bay of Unit 01.

Once outside he felt his anger begin to boil, no clear direction on who or what it was directed at.

All he knew was that his main goal had been achieved, and it brought him only pain.

Screaming, he buried his right fist in the wall, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his eyes wide with hatred. _No, it can't be. IT CAN'T BE!_

Pulling his hand free, he trudged away, his mind blank, and no idea what to do next.

* * *

Omake by Euphemism: 

As the storm raged, a single word escaped the lips of the silent pilot, as he floated in the LCL.

"Bardiel," he said, before he fell back to his old readings.

The Thirteenth Angl had arrived, and he was growing ready to strike.

* * *

The author paused, sensing a strange disturbance in the force. Then he clicked away the error message, selecting Angle. As he scratched an itch, it faded away. Oddly enough, it sounded as though millions of voices were crying out in terror, and were slowly silenced.

* * *

Inside the warehouse, the form of the Angle/Eva was completely pulled together. The once damaged polygon slowly sank into another larger polygon, until it too disappeared. 

The patchwork Angle changed as well, absorbing the gifts of its previous brethren. As such, the armor was shifting as well, as flesh moved in its place, slowly crystallizing into a new form, yet doing nothing to disguise itself as a single entity.

What it appeared as was of no consequence. All that mattered was doing what it needed to do.

Bardiel would soon find the All-Sphere, and bring about the world for what was meant to be.

* * *

"We've got visual!" cried Shigeru. 

The screen changed, showing a 13-sided regular polygon floating in the skies, ravaged line segments holding it up.

"My God," said Misato, "it looks like someone already got to it."

In the air, the Angle hung, ragged white lines somewhat tinged with red flowed from its back. The armor seemed to be of every standard color used. There was white green, blue, and yellow. Some of it looked more like it was simply fused onto it rather than placed there for a particular caring reason. Then it shifted, its 13 sides becoming 8, then 4, then 5, then 21. To any normal, 2-Dimensional observer, this was a stupefying change. To the brilliant scientists at NERV...

"It's three dimensional," gasped Maya.

A beeping drew her back to the console. "Its angles are exhibiting fractal qualities!"

"What?" screamed Misato.

* * *

Asuka was dodging for her life, trying to get in a good shot on the Angle, as it morphed away from her attacks. The bastard shapeshifts like Shinji. 

It was then that it hit her. They just didn't steal the design specs.

They stole the simulation data.

They were fighting Shinji, as well as every other pilot whose data was inside the simulators.

But mostly just Shinji.

Even as she came to that realization, so did the other pilots, as the 7 sided Angle morphed into a passible likeliness of Shinji. A quadrilateral, multihued, with angles of 87, 34, 128, and 93 respectively. The fact that those angles didn't add up to 360 did not matter, as this was an Angle.

"It's using the simulator data!" cried out Asuka, as Bezier curves connected to her unit, piercing her shortest side (she was an acute triangle), before they delivered their shock.

Soon, Unit 02 slumped to the ground, out of commission, and slightly smoking where the voltage was enough to fry flesh.

* * *

The others cringed as the expected death was released. Many were recalling their lives, as was a common thing when you knew death was literally a heartbeat away. 

Missed opportunities.

The chance to help someone out.

The facts of what evils they had done for others.

The loved ones they would never get to say goodbye to.

All thought of these were running through the minds of the staff on the main bridge.

Except for one: Gendo Ikari.

As each of the Evangelions fell, the Jet Alones fell, he kept his faith.

As the patchwork Angle penetrated the Geo-Front and eventually the Equilateral Triangle, he kept his faith.

And as death literally sat meters away from him, he still believed.

And as the attack was literally stopped by a white field of energy not more than six meters from its source, he realized that his faith had been rewarded.

Before them, in the direct path of the attack, holding the white field up, was a morphing polyhedron ... with six faces.(Later the scientists and mathematicians would discuss the impossibility of seeing three-dimensional polyhedrons, given that their flat eyes were completely unsuited for seeing into the third dimension. But for now, all, especially Gendo Ikari, were believers)

"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to show those faces in public?" Even as a glowy white figure, busy saving the world, Shinji Ikari had the common sense and propriety to keep his 7th face hidden, unfortunate though it was for the various females watching in rapture.

* * *

As Bardiel impacted the ground, the Angle soon discovered that its Polyhedron Field was now gone, as the debris tore into its now two-dimensional hide. As it dug into the dirt and what had once been a lush forest, the armored hide along its corrupted frame was ripped from it, revealing the inner Triskaidecagon to the unforgiving ground. 

It tried to stand up as it considered what had attacked it. It knew it wasn't the real being, more a projection of its angles.

Its very strong and sharp angles, which had torn the patchwork Angle into its composite components, and dealing a rather painful jab to its indecently exposed faces along the way.

It had barely begun to try and understand just what had occurred, let alone what to do now.

Sadly for Bardiel, these decisions were quickly taken from its control.

Magical blasts shot through it, to the tune of "Mars Celibacy Ray!" and "Jupiter Lessons on Manners". It was the Sailor Propers, and they were there to punish it for indecent exposure.

* * *

"The way he looked," said Kozo, before shaking his head sadly. "He's becoming one, isn't he?" 

Ritsuko stayed quiet, choosing that moment to head to her own tasks.

How could she tell him, or anyone else for that matter, that Shinji might be becoming a Sphere like Adam or Lilith?

If so, that meant Shinji was slowly becoming an Angle.

And that meant ... he might become three dimensional as well. That would not do. The entire basis of Evangelion was supposed to be on a wussy, bullied loser that was as interesting as cardboard. Not only had Shinji somehow escaped that image, but he was now becoming a real, breathing three dimensional character. That meant Shinji got more airtime, more fans, and worst of all; she would be marginalized as being barely interesting. They might even find her annoying enough to kill off! No, this would not do, but she had a plan.

She couldn't become three dimensional the way Shinji had, not without recasting herself into the role of heroine who was stupid enough to take that job, but there were other things she could do. All of it could be summed up in one word: fan service.

... And thus ends the teaser for True Angle 17: Why relying on MS Word's spellchecker is a bad, bad thing.


	18. Merger of Light

**Chapter 18**

**Merger of Light**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

Gendo sat in his office, the red light of the Geo-front's simulation sunlight filtering through his windows, as he stared across his office, his mind on other matters.

_Yui ... she rejected me._

He had been there for hours since his encounter with his wife's imprisoned soul, trying to bring himself to terms with what had occurred.

Till that point, all of his efforts had been to one single purpose: to return Yui to him in a form where they could be together. Nothing else mattered to those ends.

"_**Look at what you did to Shinji after I was absorbed, and tell me that.**_

"_**Now leave me, Gendo. I can't stand the sight of you right now."**_

She knew, though. She knew, and she was not excited about being reunited with him, was not happy at all he had accomplished to that goal.

She was furious at him, perhaps more so than Naoko had been when she first remembered who she had been.

_She is disgusted with me, angry at all I have done._

"Fuyutsuki!" Gendo called out, hitting the intercom to the Central Dogma.

"_Yes, Commander?"_

"I am placing all current operations in your control. Do not disturb me unless an Angel attacks. Is that understood?"

"_Yes, Commander. Is that all?"_

Gendo could hear the dissatisfaction within his old sensei's voice as well, a well of disgust with Gendo. "Yes."

"_Very well,"_ said Kozo, as the line disconnected.

Gendo went back to contemplating his own position with Yui. For now, the rest of the world could go literally to Hell for all he cared.

_I will have you back, Yui. Of that, you can be **very** certain._

* * *

The members of SEELE were in an uproar.

While many had not agreed with the strategy for the use of the Thirteenth Angel to breach NERV, the depths of it had surprised a few.

The samples of the few Angels they had managed to acquire and study had been used to make the assembled Evangelion a more suitable target for possession. Of that, the group for the plan had been all for. It would allow the Angel to become more powerful than if it tried to acquire an Evangelion for one of the MP series SEELE was producing.

But the copies of the pilot simulation data, all the files on the mental and psychological reactions, habits, and fighting skills of the pilots had also been used within the process.

Which meant, the remaining Angels would now all have that data as well.

"This is against every scenario we have planned for!" yelled out SEELE 04.

"With the introduction of the unknown element," stated SEELE 08, "we had to make sufficient changes."

"The Ikari boy was rendered mute in the earlier attack almost a month ago," said SEELE 06. "Yet that did not stop him from somehow ejecting the Thirteenth from the Pyramid."

"The greater threat at this moment may in fact be the Angels now," stated SEELE 01. "With that data, they will be more efficient in their attacks, and may succeed in uncovering the location of Adam.

"Many would be dead, if they had no used copies of the data, as well as samples we no longer needed," SEELE 01 said in a cold and icy tone.

"Correct," said SEELE 02. "Because of what you have done, we may be forced to act and assist Ikari at best; at worst, we will be forced to attack before we are prepared."

"True," said SEELE 04. "Due to the public stance NERV has adopted, as well as both UN and JSSDF ties, we will need to take NERV on our own and quickly. As such, our forces are still not ready for such a task."

"If we are forced to act now," claimed SEELE 03, "then we will be unable to obtain our goals. Ikari's brat has found a way beyond the manipulation of the two seeds. If he can produce the result on a grander scale, then all of our efforts will be for not."

"But the scenario—" began SEELE 07 before he was cut off.

"The scenario has been falling apart since Ikari's brat came into the picture," stated SEELE 05. "To constantly try and reinforce the dying ideals will lead only to our failure. If we fail to adapt, we will lose all we have worked for."

"Continue working on both the MP Evas as well as the ground units," said SEELE 01. "Until we determine the possible strength of the next Angel, we must be prepared for anything."

"And Ikari's boy?" asked SEELE 10.

"For now, nothing." SEELE 01 faded out first, followed by the others.

* * *

Misato stood on the hillside, looking out over Tokyo-3. She had brought Shinji there before, showing him the city he had helped save. It was a beautiful view, one she often teased him about bringing his "girls" up to see and do adult activities.

"It is a nice view, Misato."

She turned to see the current reason she was here. "Kaji."

The man looked different, aside from the wings. His usual confident demeanor was replaced by his nervous self. "Katsuragi, I wanted to discuss about what changed between us when the Angel was about to kill us."

Misato shifted nervously. "What about it?"

"Well, we did say we loved each other," said Kaji, stepping beside her. "I figured that was a good place to start."

"What do you want from me, Kaji?" Misato said, trying not to look directly at him.

"I want you to stop running away, Misato. I did."

"Right," she said, her obvious disbelief of his seriousness coming across in her voice.

He chuckled a bit. "Shinji saves my life after I finally admit how I feel to you, after you do the same. You're damn right I changed. The kid saved my life, and I have no want to waste that chance again.

"Come and talk to me when you can admit the truth to yourself, Misato," he said, walking away. "After all, we all have to grow up sometime, and quit running away. Running away solves nothing."

She turned to watch him get in his car and depart, before she turned back to the city. "Damn you, Kaji.

"Damn you for letting me feel that."

* * *

"So," said Kaoru, "how are you today, sister?"

Rei leveled a glare at him, as they walked together towards NERV. "We are not family."

Kaoru smiled. "We are brethren under the Grey Moon, we are all siblings, in a way, I suppose. Don't you?"

"Just because we have ascended, does not make us family," stated Rei.

Kaoru nodded. "They all know, you know."

She stopped, giving him a questioning glance. "Excuse me?"

"The data that was given to Bardiel. The remaining Angels now possess it as well."

"I suspected as much," said Rei. "Is it because of the communal consciousness?"

Kaoru nodded. "The strange fact is that even though I am now a child of the Grey Moon, I can still receive such information."

"Do you convey it to them as well?" she asked.

Kaoru shook his head. "I cannot do so unless I am the current one seeking the All Father of the White Moon."

"Will you if and when the time comes?" asked Rei. It was obvious the answer would determine her future actions towards him.

"It is an event that cannot be stopped," said Kaoru, sadness in his voice. "As things stand now, I could defeat him quite easily."

Seeing her gaze turn questioning, he answered. "I was an Angel before ascension. Though I have only one set of wings, I still have both my original power that my ascension multiplied, as well as the information of his data. If we fight, it will be even only if I hold back."

He started walking. "Do not worry, child of the Black Moon; should that time come, I will face Shinji in the open, and not behind the tactics of my brethren. He shall be awake, and not beforehand."

"I could stop you before that," stated Rei, catching up to him.

"You could, but since my brethren still have three more messengers to send before me, my help may be needed. As things stand now, I am the only available pilot that can engage an Angel outside of an Eva. None of you have progressed to that point."

"I will ascend to the next level as soon as I am ready," said Rei with utmost certainty.

"Really? Has anyone else even approached the second ascension; or is it merely something that the Grey Moon can achieve?"

Rei paused for a minute, as she considered that. How long did one have to wait to ascend a second level? Did Kaoru? Could she? "The only limits are those that we set for ourselves."

Kaoru nodded, resuming their walk.

"Does Hoshoni know of your heritage and plans?"

Kaoru stopped, before turning to face her. "He has known since I opened my mind to him."

"And?"

"And he will support me as a friend. He may not agree with what I have to do, but he is my partner, and will act as such."

"I see," she said.

"Would Naoko do the same for you?" he asked.

"No," she said. "She would not."

Kaoru nodded, before resuming his pace. _Such is the way of things, that my greatest friend is my own, a unique relationship._

_One more thing I am thankful for._

_I hope that after I hear the call; that both Hoshoni and Shinji may forgive me._

* * *

It was a place without definition, only having that which was deemed to exist.

In this place, stood a lone willow tree on top of a grassy hill, the landscape seeming to literally run into the horizon.

This place was far from empty. Under the tree sat a lone boy, dressed in a white button-up shirt, dress pants, and a mop of dark brown hair. He had six silvery wings, glowing in the occasional flecks of sunlight that made it through the leaves and branches.

"Where am I?" he asked. He looked around, trying to figure it out.

The place was not his home.

But he felt as if he belonged here.

"Why am I here?" he asked the air, almost as if he expected an answer.

Trying to stand, he found that his strength was quickly drained, before he slumped back against the tree.

"**The time is not yet."**

He looked around, trying to find the voice. "Hello?"

"**Your time is soon."**

Not being able to locate the voice, the boy called out to it. "Who are you? Who am I? Where am I?"

"**Answers will come soon, but only when the time is now."**

Sighing, the boy resumed his rest against the tree. "Damn old man, speaking in riddles."

Soon, Shinji was back asleep, as the wind continued to blow across the field.

* * *

"What is our status?" asked Kozo at the current staff meeting. It had barely been a week since the attack of the Thirteenth Angel, and even with the added assistance from the worker robots from the other bases, it was still slow going.

"The Evangelions are fully regenerated," said a tired Ritsuko, having spent more of her time at NERV than at her apartment; thanking Kaoru once again in her mind for taking care of her pet cat. "The armor ranges from sixty-eight percent repaired on Unit 00 to ninety-seven percent complete on Unit 01."

"The Goliath units on the surface are at seventy-four percent combat effectiveness. They won't have much in the way of engaging an Angel in hand-to-hand," said Sanada, "but they can still give it a few zaps.

"JA-04 is still about twenty-seven percent repaired. If an Angel gets back in the Geo-Front, forget about it for backup."

Kozo nodded. "The Icarus types?"

Rara sighed. "Mana's still recovering from her own attack; her body's regenerating some nerve tissue. Trident will be down for another two weeks while we replace half the energy transfer systems. Dante should be ready at week's end."

"The pilot?" asked Kozo.

"Kensuke is back undergoing full training. We've invested too much time in his training to toss him out now, but we are scouting possible candidates to replace him if need be."

The Sub Commander nodded, already having chewed out the boy for freezing up in the middle of a battle. "Good.

"The shields?"

Shigeru sighed. "The replacement parts are on their way, but forget shields for another two weeks at best."

Kozo nodded. "Order more parts so we don't have to go through this again. I want enough to rebuild them twice more if need be."

"Understood."

"What about the armor plating?"

Makoto nodded. "We've repaired half of the plating, and should have the rest repaired by the end of the week."

"City defenses?"

Misato sighed. "We still have most of them, and they'll be restocked and fully repaired in two days. But..."

"But what?" asked Kozo.

"The high end assault weapons need to be upgraded to compensate for the knowledge we suspect the Angels now possess. If they have already been adapted to, then they'll be as useless as standard ammunition."

Kozo nodded. "Talk with R&D about new upgrades. I think they talked about several new subsystems they've been working on. What about the Geo-Front repairs?"

Maya nodded. "The pyramid is expected to be finished by the end of the week. We've had to wait for the repairs to finish their waiting periods, such as concrete and such, plus removing the damage and remains of the Angel have been taking longer than we thought."

Sanada sighed. "Our best hope at this point is the next Angel takes a month or more before it attacks."

"Not likely with what we suspect their collective mind now possesses," said Rara. "If they do possess the battle data from the pilots, then they possess the knowledge that they should attack soon, for the advantage."

"Let us hope not," said Kozo.

* * *

Kensuke sat inside the simulator, his mind focused on one thing: no longer being a liability on the battle field.

His first sortie had resulted in his complete humiliation, and the very fact he was both still alive and still a pilot were results of incredible dumb luck as far as he was concerned.

Because he had been afraid, his JA was damaged, his friends were injured, and he had lost everyone's respect.

He had been given a dream, and had nearly lost it, neglecting to learn the simple truths of a battle: that he could be hurt.

So, he was now where he had been for the past few hours, until they sent him home and starting the moment he returned; inside the simulator for the Icarus types, running battle simulations, and not stopping until the fear was conquered.

_Mustn't run away! If I do, my friends could die!_

That phrase was constantly being chanted in his mind as he destroyed simulation Angel after simulation Angel.

As far as he was concerned, if he didn't want his dream to die, then he had to grow up quickly.

He could not afford to fail anyone else ever again.

_Mustn't run away! If I do, my friends could die!_

And to that end, he would ensure that when he went out the next time to fight an Angel, he would ensure that the Angel didn't come back.

* * *

Mana stared at the ceiling of the hospital room she was in, finding the simple act of floating inside a regeneration tank to be very ... boring.

"Four hundred and eighty seven tiles line the ceiling," she muttered.

"Must be very bored to count those."

Turning her head, she spotted Asuka walking into the room, her own bandages having long since been removed. "Hey."

Asuka smiled. "How long before you get out?"

"Another few days," said Mana. "Makes me wish I was at least well enough to be confined to a bed. At least then I could have something to read."

Asuka giggled a bit. "Could be worse, could be sharing a room with one of the stooges."

Mana nodded. "Speaking of; how is Shinji? I haven't had a chance to visit since the battle."

Asuka sighed. "No change. We know he kicked Frankenstein out, but aside from that, no change."

Mana looked towards the one monitor that showed Shinji, the one concession Ritsuko had allowed when Mana had woke up. "I'm worried."

Asuka nodded. "We all are. We just have to have faith, I suppose."

Giggling, Mana looked at her. "You know, you've really mellowed out since you discovered and began to communicate with your mother's soul inside Eva 02."

Asuka stopped her smile, turning a bit. "It ... it didn't end well when I thought she had died."

Mana nodded. "You think someone arranged for that?" she asked. "I mean, the three Evangelions with human souls, all being important people to the project, and each having children who were important to the project."

"Yeah," agreed a somber Asuka. "It would be easier to control us if they could make us how they wanted. If they could fully define us, ensure we were broken in some way..." She stopped, before shaking her head. "God help my father if he was involved."

Mana nodded. "I know that feeling all too well."

The girls stayed in silence for a bit, the topic having sucked up the momentum of the conversation.

The rest of the visit was spent by both, looking at the screen showing Shinji, and both wondering about their own past, and how it had affected them.

* * *

"So," said Toji, absently scratching his left leg, still feeling some phantom pain from where the Angel had pierced it in an attack.

"So," said Hikari, looking over the crowds at the park, as they tried to enjoy the day at one of the few areas not damaged by the Angel's attack.

Sighing, Toji steeled his NERV. "Class Rep, you want to go out tomorrow?"

Smiling, Hikari nodded. "Sure!" she agreed happily.

"Big brother!" yelled out Naru. "Help me with my kite!"

Sighing, he walked over to his sister, not changing pace as Hikari grabbed his hand.

Naru was left smiling as her brother approached. She had spent enough time hearing him talk to himself about the girl.

Now, she could do what she was supposed to do, and tease the boy about his new girlfriend, and what they might be doing in a tree.

* * *

Inside the bay, Unit 01 stayed in silence; its mind still awash in a sea of confusion.

It knew Shinji was alive. It knew its pilot would return soon.

But those thoughts did little to sway the fears of the soul of the pilot's mother.

Even with the Dummy Plug connected to it, Yui knew it was now the weakest link if a defense was needed. Sure, it could summon wings, but the power for such was drawn more off the pilot's presence than that of the Eva. Even with the changes born in them from the mini-impact, they were still machines that needed the will of their pilots to function.

But she knew she had started to exert her own will once again.

Gendo now knew where he stood with her. While he had simply excused everything with the belief that Yui would forgive him once they were together, she had ripped that comfort blanket away, exposing his hidden truths to his soul once again.

_He will not be able to hide behind his self-righteous image anymore. _

_I just hope this doesn't make him do something else just as stupid._

She had thought she had known the man. When Shinji had been born, the man's smile lit up the room, and even her former sensei had been stunned by Gendo's reaction to the boy.

It was the best example of a father's love she had ever seen.

But for him to have fallen so far, to become something worse than what many had called him in college...

She felt as if she didn't even know him anymore.

_Perhaps I never knew the real Gendo._

So in silence, even from the other units, she stood and contemplated what she knew of the man she once loved, and wondered if perhaps he had ever truly understood the meaning of the world.

* * *

It had been only a few days since then, since they began to pray for more time.

But their prayers remained unanswered, as a blue pattern was detected.

The Fourteenth had arrived, and it wasn't going to give NERV time to fight back.

* * *

"Report!" yelled Kozo.

"Blue pattern confirmed, it's an Angel!" yelled Makoto.

"Contact the Commander!" yelled Kozo, hoping this would motivate Gendo out of whatever had caused his current funk.

"No response," said Maya.

_So, even now, you refuse to act, Ikari._ "What's our status?"

"Nothing!" cried Shigeru.

"It just blasted through the armor!" he yelled, as the screen switched to show the fresh armor plating falling from the ceiling of the Geo-Front.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Launch the Evas, position them inside the Geo-Front again. I want them equipped with the modified positron rifles."

"Understood!" yelled Misato, as the Evas were dispatched.

"Send Unit 01 out with the Dummy Plug system and two rifles. I want everything we have to throw at it!"

Ritsuko nodded, initiating the program, and hoping that they would make it out this time.

Misato spared a few seconds to glance back at Kaji, having just arrived himself. In her mind, she was torn between the two battles she was being forced to wage, before she threw herself into the one involving the Angels.

It was the one she felt she could actually deal with at the moment.

* * *

The Evangelions were once again launched inside the Geo-Front, as the Angel punched through the partially repaired plating.

"Attack and converge on the target!" yelled out Misato.

The others leveled their beam weapons at the target firing, as they darted off to where the Angel was coming down at, as it seemed to levitate to the ground.

But their attacks struck the AT Field of the Angel, as it continued to come down.

Halfway between the floor and the ceiling, two small antennae appeared on its shoulders, ending with a blue orb with a glowing center.

"SCATTER!" cried Kaoru, having a good guess at what this latest advancement was for.

His instincts proved right, as twin beams of blue energy lanced out, tearing into the ground where the Evas had been, sending out a shower of dirt and molted rock, setting several sections of the forest on fire.

"Screw this," muttered Asuka, setting her rifle to overload and tossing it at the Angel, an act that was followed quickly by the other pilots, as they switched to close quarters fighting, each withdrawing their progressive knives.

It had been Asuka's hope that since this Angel lacked arms, its legs little more than little featureless stubs, that in close quarters, they'd have the advantage. If they could get close enough, they could cut off those antennae, and then rush the exposed core.

The Angel seemed to not even care of their convergence on its position, as it simply began to float forward.

"AT Fields at full spread!" commanded Rei, as they neared the target.

Soon, 00 and 04 were in the air, trying to get the drop on the target, as 02, 01, and 03 converged on the Angel by the ground.

The Angel waited until they were closer, before the little tassels on its shoulders dropped, revealing thin paper-like whips. It spun, the two antennae shooting out, forcing 02 and 03 to leap back or be halved. Its eyes flashed, as it sent a plasma ball out, striking Unit 01 in its left side, removing the arm, and sending the unit spinning into the ground, functioning ceasing as the Dummy Plug connection was shorted out from the electrical surge of the plasma and the feedback from the attack.

The whips shot upwards, wrapping around the legs of the Evas, and suspending them in the air, seeming to have grown from before to handle the newly required length, as the Angel began to spin, tossing the Evas into 02 and 03 as they darted forward for another assault.

Stopping its spin, it leveled its antennae at 04 before delivering a full charge.

Kaoru screamed in pain, as Hoshoni's legs were severed, before a cannon blast crushed the chest armor on the Eva, sending it across the landscape as it tried to recover.

Asuka leapt on the Angel, her knife going over its back, as it tried to plunge into the exposed core.

But the Angel had been prepared, as the knife neared, a shutter snapped over the core, causing the progressive knife to spark as it hit the hardened armor.

Asuka didn't even have time to comment on failure, as the antennae turned on her, ripping off her own arm as well as cutting the neck of her Eva; only Kyoko's quick actions keeping Asuka from feeling as if her own head had been cut off.

The two whips snapped out, striking Rei, severing her lower body as one aimed for her head. Once again, it was only by the quick actions of the Evas once they felt the first strike; that the neural connections were cut, before they could feel the strike against the head, as the whip sliced 00's head in half.

Toji had wanted to help, but his approach placed him in the prime position for the energy cannon built into the face of the Angel. He literally saw the white plasma of its eyes, before the upper chest of his Eva was fried; Azrael barely having the energy left to ensure Toji didn't die from shock or feedback.

Without stopping its movements, the Angel resumed course to the freshly patched pyramid, determined to answer the call, and destroy all that impeded it.

* * *

"**Hello, student."**

Shinji awoke, looking once again for the voice. It sounded like... "Sensei?"

"**Yes, child. It is time to wake up once again, to face the threat."**

"Wake up again?" he asked, sounding still half asleep. "What do you mean?"

"**Open your mind, student. Learn what you have missed."**

Shinji clutched his head as images began to flood it.

The attack against the Thirteenth...

The savage final attack of the Evas and JAs on the damaged Angel...

The mini-impact on Tokyo-3...

The battle as the Thirteenth approached...

The current battle...

Shinji struggled to stand, his eyes blazing in rage at what had happened to his friends, his allies, his family.

And the newest Angel was once again preparing to strike the pyramid.

"I ... I've got to stop it!"

"**Your Evangelion is damaged; you will only have yourself to fight this attacker. Even knowing this, do you still wish to continue on?"**

Shinji nodded. "I promised to protect them till my dying breath. I can't and won't stop that duty now."

A chuckling sound was heard, as the voice seemed to refocus on Shinji. **"I knew I chose well in teaching you, my student. Enjoy the battle."**

As Shinji faded from the world, his teacher's shadowy form appeared. **"Do well, Shinji. For in these coming battles, I can do nothing else, than offer you advice before they come."**

* * *

Mana felt utter joy wash over her as a light began to glow from the screen showing Shinji, as the tube holding him shattered, his form seeming to shimmer as the plug suit formed over it, his wings out in full force.

Soon, the figure seemed to turn to her, smiling, before it blurred, the figure disappearing, as a section of wall exploded outward.

"Go get'em, Shinji," she squealed, knowing that now, all was going to be okay.

* * *

Inside the Command Bridge, the crew wondered. They wondered if perhaps their luck was about to run out, several stations already prepared to have their functions rerouted to the backup bridge.

But before the Angel had even covered half the distance between where it had engaged the Evangelions and the pyramid, the place shook, as a light seemed to shoot forth, striking the Angel, and forcing it back.

"Got to love the kid," commented Kaji. "He sure knows how to milk the suspense."

* * *

Shinji darted out of the room, flying straight through the walls, before floating before the Angel, his sword reappearing in his hands from nowhere, his mind focused on the Angel before him. "SPIRIT CUT!" he yelled out, as the line of energy blazed towards the Angel, smacking into the AT Field and sending it back a bit.

He didn't give it time to recover, launching several more attacks at it, maneuvering wildly in the air, as the Angel struggled to hit the gnat that was now bothering it, so close to achieving the goal of its brethren.

As the Angel began to try and eliminate Shinji, either by laser blast, energy cannon, or the whip-like arms, Shinji dodged and weaved as fast as he could, the Angel updating its speed and activities to try and overcome Shinji's advantage.

Shinji, however, was beginning to lose his temper. After he had ascended to the six-wing level, he had hoped his powers had risen as well. After all, he had reclaimed some memories of what had occurred with the Thirteenth.

But he was being overcome once again by the Angel before him. Sure, he could avoid most of the attacks, but he still wasn't strong enough to get past the AT Field to strike at the core ... assuming he could break through the protective shell that had snapped over it.

"I can't give up, I can't lose," he cried out, dodging the whips as the lasers came close enough to singe his wings.

He could see the damage, the entire Eva series laying about the forest. Naoko, his mother, Kyoko, Azrael, Hoshoni, Rei, Asuka, Toji, and Kaoru; all had fought against the beast and fallen; overcome by the sheer power of the Angel. It had reacted without mercy, without doubt, without emotion. While the Thirteenth had enjoyed the carnage it caused, the Fourteenth merely did what it needed to do; no more, no less.

But no matter what he threw at it, the AT Field didn't change.

And luck ran out.

* * *

Mana could only stare at her screen in her medical room, as Shinji fought, as she was reduced to watching the battle, wishing she and Trident could be out there to support him.

And then the Angel was able to get a lucky hit in; its whip slicing into him, sending a spray of blood into the air; only his speed preventing the Angel from having bisected Shinji.

"SHINJI!" she screamed, watching as the boy she loved began to fall to the Earth ... and knowing she was powerless to even help him now.

* * *

Kensuke felt an odd sense of pride that after Shinji had been hit; he didn't immediately begin to throw up. It wasn't a good feeling as far as he was concerned, but it proved that he was getting better.

Of course, he still cheered like his old self when Shinji was caught by a large purple hand, an AT Field holding off the Angel's attacks.

"Thank you, whoever just made that miracle for Shinji."

* * *

Silence.

It had gone quiet very quickly, as far as he was concerned.

_I'm ... I'm dying, I know it now._

_I'm dying again._

He barely felt his body being caught, or noticed that the Angel had not pressed its assault.

"**SHINJI!"**

He turned his face slightly, amazed at how tired her felt, his eyes refusing to focus on anything before him. His eyes met the large face before him, but his mind was blurring the image too much, before it resolved itself to one he thought he could identify.

His arm reached up weakly, grasping for the image.

"Mother..." he spoke weakly, even as his arm fell back to his side, his respiration slowing.

* * *

Yui roared in pain, seeing her son slowly dying in her hand.

Gritting in pain, she forced her S2 organ to go into overdrive, as the region around her destroyed arm began to regenerate at a rapid pace.

Soon, the arm shot out of the damaged socket, replacing what the Angel had destroyed earlier. With that done, with all her strength and rage, Yui suck the hand into the armor protecting her core, pulling on it as much as she could.

Finally, the metal gave way, coming off with a loud snap, as she flung it towards the Angel, surprising the beast as it embedded itself past the Angel's AT Field and into its hide.

With that, Yui placed her palm holding her dying son to the core, willing it to weaken enough for Shinji to pass through.

Slowly, he sunk into the core, his eyes losing more and more focus. _Mother ... mother is trying ... trying to save me._

Soon, he disappeared beneath the outer shell of the core, as Unit 01 dropped both of its arms to its side, slouching still, as the Angel rose and resumed its assault against the AT Field.

* * *

Inside the core, the injured body of Shinji Ikari floated in the sea of red, his eyes glassy; his mind slowing down.

_Mother._

_Friends._

_Family._

_Must ... protect ... must..._

Before he floated too far, twin arms of light encircled him, embracing him, and letting him rest his head against her breast.

"**Rest, my son. Rest and recover. Rest, and allow us to save you."**

Shinji's tired eyes angled up, to look at her face. "Mother..."

And with that, the beast woke up.

* * *

As the Angel tried to pound past the AT Field of the Eva, the crew of the brig could only stare at the lone Eva left functioning, left as their only chance to defeat this beast. They had only been able to watch as Unit 01 destroyed all their former beliefs of what it could do.

It had regenerated its left arm, before it used that arm to rip off its chest covering, revealing a core. They had watched as it held Shinji to that very same core, as he seemed to sink into it as if the outer shell was only fluid.

"Ma'am!' cried Maya. "I'm receiving a sync level from Unit 01. It's climbing!"

Maya began to rattle off sync numbers, steadily climbing as Unit 01 began to stand straight up again, having slumped a bit to place Shinji within its core.

The continued to watch as the numbers began to pass one hundred, and then two hundred, and so on, as the Eva began to roar, its posture suggesting it was screaming to the heavens.

Slowly, one set of wings exploded from its back, followed by another set, and the third set they had witnessed Shinji acquire only a month ago.

And then, a fourth set came out as Maya gasped.

"Sync level stopping at five hundred percent."

"Seraphim form," muttered Kozo, staring at the eight-winged beast standing on the screen, the Angel still trying to pierce its AT Field.

Soon, it stopped roaring for a moment, turning its head towards the Angel, who had moved on to trying to physically break through the Eva's AT Field with its whip-like arms.

Smiling, it moved towards its target; the only thought on the minds of its viewers were the gory memories of what the combined Evas and JAs had done to the Thirteenth, and what it might do this time.

The only thought on its mind was one thing: revenge.

* * *

01 roared to life, its hands whipping forward, catching the extended whip-like arms of the Angel, before yanking it forward, its horn sticking into the empty eye socket of the Angel.

"**Now,"** the Eva growled out, its voice sounding demonic, as it spoke for all to hear, **"you die!"**

Before the Angel could attack, 01 launched a fierce kick, sending the Angel flying backwards, impacting in the wall of the Geo-Front, its whips now only left as tattered remains.

01 held the two former paper-like whips in its hands, before it reared its head back, releasing a tremendous roar.

As it did, the whips began to bubble and shift. At first, the small end held by 01 shifted first, turning into ivory-colored hilts, as the longer sides grew into sharp blades.

Slowly, the Angel floated to its feet, before its shoulder weapons slid upright, firing off twin beams of energy.

01 flexed the swords forwards, blocking the beams, as the blades seemed to glow as they absorbed the energy, as the Angel continued to try and pound past the Eva's defenses.

But 01 grew tired of the beast. All it had done was hurt; attempt to kill those 01 cared for.

It had to be stopped. The Angels would be forced to learn what happened when you treaded on those who protected humanity. With that, 01 flashed its AT Field to full power, as it tossed the swords towards the Angel, cutting through its own AT Field, and slicing the laser antennae off, making the giant scream out in pain.

Before the Angel could recover, 01 dashed forward, its hand clenched in a fist as it delivered a deep blow to the Angel's midsection, causing the protective shield around its core to shatter. Smiling, 01 grabbed the Angel, nearly ripping off the flesh as it flipped it over, sending it back onto the pot-marked field.

Slowly standing from the throw, 01 reached behind it, grabbing the bone swords from the wall, as it advanced on its decimated prey. As the Angel tried one last assault by firing its energy cannon from its face, 01 interrupted it by stomping hard on the face, causing a small green flame to begin to erupt from the Angel's neck; the power surge catching the flesh on fire.

01 didn't stop there. It raised its twin swords up, before driving them down into the shoulders of the Angel of Might. Still smiling, the Eva's eyes narrowed, as it kneeled down, and proceeded to literally begin to rip the Angel apart, sending the bits and pieces across the Geo-Front.

* * *

"What the hell is he doing?" yelled Misato, watching as 01 continued to rip the Angel apart.

"It's not Shinji anymore, Misato," awed Ritsuko, her face paled at the carnage they were witnessing. "It isn't even his mother anymore. The beast of the Evangelion has finally broken free; it is no longer under anyone's control."

"What the hell does that mean?" yelled out Rara.

"The Evas were soulless beasts before they acquired souls. They were filled with so much anger, even after truly becoming alive.

"Now with Shinji absorbed," said Ritsuko, "the rage is let out; the beast is free from all control!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS IT DOING?" yelled Kozo.

The remaining few who were not watching the view screen turned, to see 01 holding the Angel's core in its hands, trying to crush it.

"NO!" yelled Misato. "If it does that, the core will—"

Her statement was cut off, as the core was ruptured, and the Geo-Front was consumed in a flash of light and sound.

* * *

Gendo continued to stare out his window, even as the blast began to consume Eva Unit 01, sending out a wave of light that nearly overcame the filters embedded within the windows themselves.

Even as the shockwave hit the glass, sending it shattering into his office, he continued to stare.

Truthfully, that was all he could do, not knowing what he should be feeling now, or what he should be doing.

So he sat and watched, wondering what it was that awaited him now.

* * *

In the city of Melbourne, a young man ran for his life.

"This is fucking ridiculous," he whispered, trying to outrun the horror chasing him. "I'm a fucking sniper in the military."

He gasped, steadying himself and stopping his run as he leaned against a wall. He had woken up in his home, been attacked by some weird assailant wielding what looked like a jeweled knife or dagger, and been chased around the city at the ungodly hour of night.

"Where the hell is everyone?" he muttered, before he felt a piercing pain in his chest.

Looking down, he saw the dagger in his chest, piercing his heart. The hand and arm seeming to have come from the very wall he was leaning against.

All he could do was stare in horror as a head seemed to grow from the wall, as if either it or the wall wasn't really there, just an illusion.

Smiling, the man with red eyes just chuckled. "Run and run as fast as you can. I'll always catch you."

The dying man slumped to the ground as his killer withdrew the knife, life fading from his eyes.

His killer smiled as he licked the blood from his knife, before casting a glance to his right wrist. On it was a tattoo that resembled a DNA strand. Inside the seventeen ovals produced by the doubled helix, were some numbers in roman numerals.

In one spot, the number five appeared, indicated by a V.

Chuckling, the man smiled. "The avatar of Ramiel falls before me. With his death, my power grows."

He turned his head towards the north, smiling still. "When my time comes, I shall achieve what is rightfully mine.

"Very soon," he said, disappearing back into the wall, the oval containing the letters XII glowing, "very soon indeed."


	19. Journey of Souls

**Chapter 19**

**Journey of Souls**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

Kaji sighed as he watched the view as Unit 01 screamed to the heavens, the ground melted from the blast, but the Eva standing as if the heat could and would not touch it. "The original spirit of Unit 01 has awakened and been set free. 

"SEELE won't stay quiet for this."

Kozo sighed. "Can anyone tell me if that is a good or bad thing?"

* * *

The five members of the Instrumentality Council were in chaos. News had reached them almost instantaneously about what had occurred. And the added anomalies had not been received well. 

"So," said Russia, "not only is the Third Child useless against the Angels, but now is merged with Unit 01."

"We should have had Ikari remove the S2 organs from the Evas. An Eva series wasn't capable of generating the S2 organs, and they should not have possessed them," said Britain.

"The activity of the S2 organs are not the issue at hand," said France. "The issue is what has now occurred."

"Yes," said USA. "This recent development is at extreme odds with any of the myriad of scenarios we have created."

"It will not be easy to correct these anomalies," said Russia.

"These anomalies should have been terminated as soon as they appeared," claimed France. "Ikari's spawn has interfered with our plans for far too long."

"More so," said Britain, "We must consider Gendo Ikari. It was a mistake to entrust NERV to him. We have suspected he had his own plans, and should have eliminated him when such information came to our attention."

"At the time," said USA, "he was the only one who could achieve the goals of this project."

"Ikari," growled Keel, "what's going on in your mind? What are your plans now?"

* * *

"So, this is the beginning," spoke Gendo with a very soft voice, seeing the Eva still crying out. 

He had sat there, staring.

He stared when the battle commenced.

He stared as Shinji fought.

He stared as Shinji was absorbed, and the spirit of Eva woke up.

It was neither Shinji; it was neither Yui.

It was purely the beast, the primal forces that lay in wait inside all Evas; only Units 03 and beyond perhaps being fully fused with the Artificial Souls used to give them life. It was the creation that the "Contact Experiments" had meant to find, to communicate with. It was the horror that had absorbed Naoko Akagi, Yui Ikari, and Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu.

And now, Shinji had awakened it.

God help them if it did not wish to be controlled once more.

* * *

"This is bad, Sempai," started Maya. "Damages on Evas 00, 02, 03, and 04 are all over the Henflick limit, beyond the normal means of restoration." 

"We didn't need this," Ritsuko said, looking over the battlefield. "We were starting to make some headway in restoring the damaged areas from the Thirteenth's attack, and now we have this. It'll take even longer now to restore everything to normal."

"Fortunately, the MAGI suffered only minor circuit damage from the shockwave when 01 ... when they crushed the Angel's core," she finished, Maya's nervousness easily coming across in her speech. "We'll be able to begin a full restart of them tomorrow, and resume work immediately afterwards."

Ritsuko nodded, looking back into the pyramid; seeing the fresh repairs before the attack smashed from the shockwave, the hole seeming somewhat bigger than before. "But a lot of this place will be scrapped. All of the repairs will have to be undone and redone."

Shigeru nodded. "That is of course unless the brass decides to just abandon it."

"Not likely," said Makoto. "With all the funds and resources they've sunk into it, the Geo-Front is still the most secure installation on Earth."

A tile from the ceiling fell, impacting the ground before Makoto, and causing the tech to fall backwards in shock.

"You were saying?" smiled Maya.

"Anyway," said Ritsuko, still depressed at the sheer amount of damage that the last two Angels had inflicted, "at least we won't have to use the Secondary Control Center."

"Thank God," smirked Maya. "The chairs down there are too cramped, and the sensors don't operate as smoothly. You think they would have budgeted a bit to upgrade that place as well."

"They might do that now," said Shigeru.

Looking around, he had to sigh at that thought. "Assuming we have anything left in the budget after all these repairs are done."

"At least we still have that alternative," said Ritsuko. "We don't have that option when it comes to Unit 01."

* * *

Inside the Eva Cage holding 01; stood the group of Misato, Rara, and Sanada; all three staring at the bandaged form of the formerly purple Eva, only small places of the original armor remained. When it had finished ripping the Angel apart, it grew in places, achieving a new form, and using the seraphim form provided by the Third Child to do so. Even now, inside the cage, its S2 organ inactive, the eight wings still remained. 

No pilot ... no power ... no response ... and the eight wings remained.

"If I didn't know any better," said Rara, "I'd swear it was doing that just to mock us."

"Which part?" asked Sanada. "The smiling, the big vacant stare..."

"All of it," Rara mumbled.

Misato nodded. "It may be restrained by the cage now, but are we sure that we're safe?"

"No heat emissions, free electrons, electromagnetic fields, or chemical reactions have been detected. It's like the Unit is in some sort of self-imposed stasis," said Sanada. "The S2 is completely inactive."

"Too bad we can't judge this situation merely by what we see and what we measure," said Misato. "We've seen enough shit to know that."

"Agreed," said Rara. "But ... we have other problems at the moment."

"Shinji," said Misato.

"Him as well," said Rara, surprising the Major, as he handed her a data pad. "This is the other problem."

She looked at it, her eyes growing larger. "You can't be serious!"

Rara sadly nodded. "It's true; the other units have all ceased functioning."

* * *

"However, our concerns are not limited to merely Unit 01 or the disruptive Third Child," said Britain. 

"Correct," said France. "Serious damage was sustained by all other Evangelion units, proving the evolutionary actions of the Angels. Unlike the previous one, this last Angel fully assimilated the data, and used it with ruthless efficiency.

"It was even able in its death to ruin most if not all the repairs made to NERV headquarters, as well as Central Dogma. Even in death, its destruction was enormous."

"We can't even estimate how much money and time have been lost," said USA.

"This is all because we didn't put a bell around Ikari's neck, nor force him to hand over the Third Child earlier, when his angelic properties began to manifest."

"The bell was there," corrected Russia, "it just didn't ring."

"A bell that doesn't ring serves no purpose," said Keel. "We'll make certain that the bell works the next time."

* * *

"My, my," said Kaji, "this situation is quite unexpected." 

He was currently leaning against Gendo's desk, with Fuyutsuki in the background, waiting patiently to see if Ikari would be motivated to act.

In the last week, this meeting had been the only sign that Gendo had even cared about the operations of the base.

"How will you explain this to the Committee?" asked Kaji. "I mean; how will you explain this to SEELE?"

"Unit 01 was not under our control," said Gendo. "It acted independently of our wishes during the battle after the Dummy Plug system was damaged.

"In truth, its actions since we lost control can not be seen as our responsibility. It was for all intents and purposes, an accident."

"Until further notice, Unit 01 will remain frozen, until the Committee determines it is safe for use," said Kozo.

"That's a very appropriate decision," said Kaji. "But isn't Shinji still trapped inside it?"

"That is also something no longer within our hands," said Gendo.

"But it still won't stop us from trying to get him out," said Kozo.

Gendo nodded, shocking his former teacher. _Perhaps he is finally waking up?_

* * *

_The First Day..._

"No good," said Maya, watching as the alarms sounded at the Eva's refusal to eject the entry plug. "It refuses to accept the code to eject the plug."

"What about the backup codes?" asked Ritsuko. They were working on a simple assumption. The entry plugs of the Evangelions inserted themselves into the cores of the Evas. Since Shinji had been absorbed by the Eva through its core, it was hoped he was deposited within the plug.

Fortunately, unlike previous versions, the new Dummy Plugs only required some biological components that could fit inside a small canister that was hardwired into the plug.

A far cry from the original designs she had worked on.

"Rejected as well," said Maya. "Even the direct circuit pathways aren't getting through."

"Damn it," muttered Ritsuko. "We need Shinji's help to see why the other Evangelions and Icaruses aren't responding."

"Ma'am," said Makoto, "the video monitor in the plug is active. I'm putting it on the main screen."

As the screen lit up, everyone gasped.

The plug was empty, aside from a floating medical suit Shinji had been put in to monitor his condition, the same suit he had gone out in to attack the Fourteenth Angel.

It was obvious, as the suit sported a large tear across the chest.

"What in the hell is this?" gasped Misato.

"Even the Dummy Plug system is missing," murmured Maya.

Ritsuko sighed. "This is what happens when you have such a high sync rate."

"I can't believe it," said Misato. "What happened to Shinji?"

"I think the Eva took Shinji into itself."

"You mean his mother did that?" asked Rara with a bit of fear in his voice.

"That wasn't his mother," said Sanada, advancing cautiously on Ritsuko. "That was something else; something entirely within the Eva; wasn't it?"

"What does that mean?" yelled out Misato, near frantically. "What is an Eva?"

"It is something created by Man in Man's own image. I really can't describe it any other way."

"You didn't create anything," glared Misato at her college friend. "You just copied something you found in Antarctica. What was the original? That's what I want to know, Doctor."

"This is not just a copy," said Ritsuko. "A human will is inside it."

"Two human wills," corrected Sanada. "But I doubt the will of the Eva itself could be counted as human."

"And one of those wills willed this to happen?" asked Misato.

"Yes," said Ritsuko. "The will of the Eva itself."

The slap was heard throughout the command level, as Misato slapped her friend in the face.

"Do something, damn you!" cried out Misato. "You created this, didn't you? Take responsibility for it!"

A second slap was heard, causing the remaining members to ignore the alarms.

Ritsuko straightened her clothes, ignoring the shocked look on Misato's face, having not expected her usually calm friend to respond like that. "Listen carefully, Misato. I know damn well what's at stake. I know damn well that Eva has Shinji.

"I also know how badly the attempts failed when the Evas absorbed the other scientists who tried to contact the spirits of those beasts.

"That won't stop me. I will work hard, and I will get him back. He is my friend, and he is family."

She walked over to Misato, her eyes glaring with a cold intent. "Don't **ever** fucking assume you have sole ownership of those claims with him."

She then turned around to the others. "Maya, retrieve the data on the early retrieval experiments and send them to my station.

"And someone shut those fucking alarms off!"

* * *

_The Second Day..._

Rei slowly opened her eyes, trying to wake her mind back up, as the local news played on the radio.

"I'm still alive."

She tried to smile at that, her eyes trying to locate Shinji.

He wasn't in the room.

"Where is Shinji-kun?" she asked no one in particular. All the other times she had ended up inside these rooms, he had been there, watching over her, making her feel safe.

Closing her eyes once again, she tried to sense Shinji; an ability he had begun to teach her.

But...

She opened her eyes again, tears leaking out. "I cannot sense Shinji-kun anymore. Where is Shinji?"

She sent that message out to Naoko, to Yui, to anyone.

But no response came.

"I feel ... alone."

* * *

In the apartment where she lived, Asuka found herself standing inside the doorway to Shinji and Rei's room. 

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed into the phone to Misato mere seconds earlier, before slamming it down.

Her own room was torn up in a fit of rage.

But it just wasn't rage. It was fear, uncertainty, loss...

Shinji was gone.

Her mother was silent. Unit 02 refused to reactivate.

"I can't believe it," she whispered, a lone tear going down her face. "I couldn't do anything. Shinji had to save me ... once again."

"Not again," she cried, sinking to her knees. "Not again."

Inside her heart, she wasn't certain if she was crying because Shinji saved her, or because she was alone once again.

* * *

_The Third Day..._

"What do you mean you're going to 'salvage' Shinji?" asked Misato.

"Well, theoretically, Shinji's life force still exists in there," said Ritsuko, pointing to the core of Unit 01.

"Losing Shinji is out of the question now," said Misato.

"You feel it too?" said Ritsuko. "That weird void in your heart?"

Misato nodded. "Rei's crying about it; she can't sense him anymore, or any of the Eva souls.

"Worse," she said, "I think someone wants Unit 01 for their tool, not Shinji."

Ritsuko nodded. "All of the crew involved in this will be those we trust the most. I even have the MAGI running full background checks to ensure our former friends didn't slip us a few saboteurs."

"Our assumption is that Shinji's body lost its Ego border," said Maya, "and is floating in the entry plug in quantum form."

"You're saying that Shinji's shifted into a form we can't see?" asked Misato. _That kid can't stay in one form, can he?_

"Yes," said Maya. "The LCL has chemically altered into something very similar to the sea water of primitive Earth."

"You mean like a primordial soup?"

"All of the substances which composed Shinji are still preserved inside the entry plug, as far as we know," said Ritsuko. "We also believe his soul exists inside the entry plug as well.

"In fact, his Ego image has given a sort of substance to his medical suit."

"So this operation not only must reconstitute his body," said Misato, "but re-anchor his soul to it?"

Seeing their nods, Misato leaned against the rails. "Is that even possible?" she asked.

"With the MAGI's support, yes," said Ritsuko. "To be honest, I think those versions of Mother have a thing for little Shinji. They're running through new scenarios and simulations every few seconds."

Misato nodded, remembering a few teases the bridge crew had given Shinji about the personalities of Naoko Akagi. "This is all theoretical, isn't it? You won't really know what will really happen until you do it?"

"Honestly," said Ritsuko, "most of the experimental data comes from the Commander's early attempts to bring his wife out of Unit 01."

"Just do your best, Rits," said Misato, walking away. "Just bring him back."

* * *

"You feel it as well," stated Rei. 

Kaoru nodded. "Yes," he said, placing his hand over his heart. "I feel an emptiness, as though a portion of my soul is no longer in existence."

Rei nodded. "It is possible that when Shinji-kun lost physical form, we lost our connection to him."

"I wonder if this is what it would feel like for the Angels or the lilim if their Seed was destroyed."

"Doubtful," said Rei. "Only the fellow students whom Shinji-kun has taught show the ability to sense this. Many others only sense something is wrong. Only we few seem to be able to identify what that something is."

Kaoru nodded. "And what would occur to them all if Shinji-kun is killed in duty, or fails to return?"

Rei stopped. "Unknown."

Kaoru nodded. "So true. More mysteries appear in life, and we are left to determine them only after they affect us in some way."

Rei nodded, but continued her walk. The mysteries of her new life were fast mounting, and she was left hoping that they would all survive this.

If not, and Shinji could not be returned, she feared what that would mean for those already dependent on his Seed.

* * *

_The Fourth Day..._

"Damn it," muttered Shinji, as he looked over the field once again from his shady spot under the tree.

"This place isn't so bad, Shinji."

He angled his head back, catching sight of... "Mother?"

"Well," said Yui Ikari, wearing her old clothes of a pair of brown dress slacks, a blue button-up shirt, and a long white lab coat, as she leaned against the tree, "this is a relaxing place."

"Agreed," said Naoko, leaning back in a similar outfit.

"We need some food," said Kyoko.

"How about some more trees and shade?" said Azrael, wearing a long black cloak.

"He has a point," said Hoshoni, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. "This place is somewhat empty."

"Very true," said Trident.

"Can't argue with the company," said Dante.

Shinji looked around, before sighing and burying his head between his legs. _Even in limbo, I can't get any me-time._

"Shinji," said Kyoko, "why do you pilot?"

"To protect those who cannot protect themselves."

Dante nodded. "Do you know why the others pilot?" he asked.

Shinji shook his head. "If they wanted me to know, they would've told me."

"I'm sorry son, but you need to know this," said Yui.

"Let the game begin," said Azrael, as the landscape flashed.

* * *

"OLD HAG!" yelled Naoko, as she charged Rei, wrapping her hands around the little girl's throat. "DIE YOU FREAK!"

* * *

"What the fuck was that?" yelled Shinji, as the landscape returned, his own hands going around his neck, having felt the life being choked from him. 

"Not all of our histories are pleasant Shinji," said Naoko. "Some of us were worse off because of our own issues."

"Making excuses?" asked Dante.

"No," said Naoko. "If I wanted that, I would be blaming Gendo for what he did. He manipulated me to get what he wanted, and when I no longer suited his needs, he cast me aside, not caring what emotional state he had left me in." She turned to Shinji. "I make no excuses for what I did. I was punished by being sealed in my own creation, forgotten by all; even my own daughter cursed my name. What else could be done to me, other than the living tomb of Unit 00?"

"The pasts of those close to you will not be pleasant," said Hoshoni, "but they must be shown."

"Why?" Shinji asked. "Those thoughts are private. They should only come to me if they want me to know."

"Things are moving quickly," said Trident. "You need to know these things."

Shinji slowly turned to him. "What does that mean?"

"A final showdown is eminent, son," said Yui. "A battle will occur that will decide the future of this world one way or another. We cannot protect you always from Lilith, we don't know how the fail safes done by the Gods will affect you, and we have no idea why Adam hasn't made a direct move aside from his children."

"What is happening to me?"

"I wish I knew, Shinji," said Yui, holding him closely. "But what we all sense is fast approaching; a challenge will come, and you must not only be ready physically and mentally, but you must know your forces inside and out."

"You make it sound like I'm leading a war."

"In a way, you are," said Dante. "On this world now are three levels of life: the children of Lilith, the children of Adam, and..."

"My children," said a somber Shinji. "But that would mean..."

"Your dreams are of you becoming a new Seed, a new Moon," said Kyoko. "A bridge between the two paths set for all life by the Gods."

"Your existence will change many things, Shinji," said Trident. "Already your existence has changed the lives of those whom you have now only met. If not for you, the technology that made both Jet Alone series into viable weapons against the Angels would never have existed."

"Without you, we would all still be trapped within the cores of the Evangelions," said Naoko.

"Which is why we must do this," said Azrael.

"I am sorry, my son," cried Yui.

"Mother, wait; what abou—"

Then the world flashed again.

* * *

_The Thirtieth Day..._

"_The concentration of LCL is currently stable at thirty-six. No problem with oxygen concentration."_

"_Electromagnetic radiation pulse is normal. Wave pattern is 0."_

Tubes and wires were connected everywhere on the Evangelion, the armor having been replaced everywhere, except for the exposed core. The plug had been partially ejected, but even the rig used to do so was torn apart, new wires and components added on to work with the plan.

All of that to get one boy out.

And not one person had complained while doing it.

"_Counters are functioning normally."_

Misato could only stare at the entry plug, stare at the living tomb of her roommate, her friend, her family, her...

He had a lot of meaning to her. Sure, he was cute, but not "willing to go to jail" cute. He was at times an irritating little brother, at times a father figure, but always a voice of comfort; even if the solution was not what you wanted to hear.

He was an anchor, a reason for her to grow, and let go of old problems.

It was because of him that she no longer stared at the scare on her chest every morning.

And it was because of him ... that she would not give up until he was returned ... alive.

* * *

"Salvage Plan Guidelines and Procedures..." mumbled Maya. "It's amazing that you could create all of this in one month." 

"Thanks for giving me credit, Maya," said Ritsuko, making some last minute program changes, "but it wasn't my original idea."

"Sempai?"

"Remember, I told you this was already experimental over ten years ago."

Maya nodded in understanding. "When the Commander tried to return his wife."

"Yes," said Ritsuko, her own bitterness about Gendo Ikari's obsession worn away by his son's good nature. _Healing everyone; Shinji sure is nothing like his father ... thankfully._

"I still can't believe something like this happened during the development."

Ritsuko nodded. "They were in Mother's notes on the project. She was as meticulous with them as she was with the MAGI."

"Hopefully," said Maya, "we'll have better success."

"So do I, Maya," said Ritsuko.

* * *

_The Thirty-first day..._

Shinji found himself in a fog, the tree and field gone, the other souls gone, and him all alone.

His eyes were still wide at what he had experienced, trying to keep his sanity.

_They still work on, still fight the good fight; so can I!_

"_Momma, I did it! I'm an Eva pilot!"_ yelled a joyous young Asuka, before she opened the door to her mother's room at the hospital.

"_PAPA!"_ cried Misato, as the escape pod shook from the fury of Second Impact.

"_Wake-up, Naru!"_ yelled Toji as he held his unconscious sister in his arms.

"_Shinji!"_ yelled Yui as she was absorbed into Unit 01.

_How? How did they all keep going?_

"You're more important than you give yourself credit for, Shinji."

He looked up, spotting a small figure in the distance. "Who?"

"Each of those people are connected to you, even before you began to change them," the figure said. "Because of you, because of what you have done, the path of life has shifted for the better for each of them."

"I'm only human," said Shinji. "I'm only one person, trying to be good."

"That's true," said the figure, walking closer. "You're trying to make things better for everyone. A guy attacks you for what happened to his sister, and you heal her. Souls cry out in pain, and you sooth them."

"Not the old man's," weakly chuckled Shinji.

The figure stopped, still staying in the shadows of the new world, nodding slightly. "Even he, you can find no redeemable qualities?"

"Those died out when Mother did. He only saw his own needs. Mine were of no concern. Even when the Third Angel arrived, he only cared about what use I could be to him."

"And does he still feel the same?"

"Like I give a damn," growled Shinji. "That ass has left nothing but pain and suffering in his wake. He can die out for all I care, and the world would be no less for it."

"Can you afford to be so callous to him?" asked the figure. "Do you know the truth behind all of this?"

"Simple," said Shinji. "He wanted mom back and didn't care what innocent people he had to step on to get it; even his own son."

"He did prepare Eva."

"They were already planning several other series; those benefactors," spat Shinji.

"Who might never have given out such technology without Gendo changing you."

"So I should thank the bastard?"

The figure chuckled. "No. As you have seen, destiny and free will are neither exclusive nor inclusive. The scope of reality is far beyond what you know or accept at the moment."

"Just because the other Shinjis might be able to forgive him doesn't mean I will, or I have to."

"True," said the figure. "But you must also accept that what was lost may also be found."

"And what does this have to do with the pain?"

Sighing, the figure began to walk back into the mist. "That ... is something you must discover for yourself."

Soon, the world flashed again, and more memories were brought before Shinji.

* * *

"_All investigative needles are fixed."_

"_Fixed at an electromagnetic radius of zero minus three."_

"Ego border pulse connection is now complete," said Maya.

"Roger," said Ritsuko. "Begin the salvage operation."

"Roger," said Makoto. "Transmitting the first signal."

"Eva has received the signal," said Shigeru. "No rejection confirmed."

"Preparing the second and third signals," said Maya.

Soon, Misato was tuning them out, focused on the image of the inside of the entry plug. She was focused on regaining one of the most important people in her life. They had gone through so much, witnessed so much, and helped each other so much.

And now he was in a situation where he needed their help, needed their faith and needed them to pull off a miracle.

"Shinji," she said with utmost confidence, "we'll get you back."

* * *

Rei's first death... 

Asuka's horror of finding both her mother and her favorite doll hanging from the ceiling...

Toji's fear as the pulled his sister from the wreckage of the building...

Kaoru's first memory of the first moment of his existence...

Mana's mother dying before her eyes, the fading beeps of the hospital's machines...

Kensuke's fear as the Angel barreled at him...

Naoko's distress when Gendo called her Yui's name in bed...

Yui's last sight of seeing Shinji's fear in his eyes as she was absorbed...

Kyoko's tears as she watched her daughter lose more of herself, while she could only watch inside the Eva...

Azrael...

Hoshoni...

Dante...

Trident...

"Such pain," he muttered, grasping his head. "They have all suffered so much..."

"You needed to know this, Shinji," said Yui.

"But why?"

"To understand why they believe in you," said Trident.

* * *

"It's no good," yelled out Maya, "the Ego border line is frozen in a loop!" 

"Irradiate the wave pattern in all direction!" said Ritsuko.

"Damn," she muttered. "It won't work. The signals are trapped in Klein space."

"What does that mean?" asked a frantic Misato.

"It means we're failing," said a somber Ritsuko. "Abort intervention! Reverse tangent plug and return all additions to zero!" she commanded.

"Understood!" said Maya.

Shigeru gasped. "Destrudo reaction in the old area! Pattern sepia!"

"A change is confirmed in the core pulse!" yelled Makoto. "Change is confirmed at Pulse 0.3!"

"Maintenance of the status quo is top priority!" commanded Ritsuko. "Prevent back flow and seal corruption!"

"Yes, ma'am!" yelled Maya, as her fingers began to rapidly tap across the keyboard. "Plus 0.4. Plus 0.8! This is weird! I can't stop it!"

"What the hell is going on?" asked Ritsuko, turning to the cameras monitoring the core of the Eva. "Don't you want to come back, Shinji?"

* * *

"I don't understand," said Shinji. "Why do I need to know this pain from them?" 

"What do you wish?" asked Misato.

"I wish for peace!"

"What do you wish?" asked Asuka.

"I wish for happiness!"

"What do you wish?" asked Rei.

"I wish for life!"

"What do you want?" asked Gendo.

"I ... I ... I want everyone I know to be okay."

* * *

The alarms were going off; the plug's feedback was reaching critical levels. 

"Eva is still rejecting the signal!" yelled Maya.

"LCL self-replenishment is dropping!" yelled Shigeru.

"Pressure in the plug is increasing!" yelled Makoto.

"The patches on the power systems are burning out!" yelled Sanada.

Rara pushed away from his station as it began to shoot sparks out. "Reinforcement control screens have overloaded!"

"Abort all operations!" yelled Ritsuko. "Cut all power!"

"It's not working!" yelled Maya. "It's ejecting the plug!"

"NO!" cried Mana, leaping to the entry plug, trying to force it to stay inside the housing. The other pilots soon joined her, putting their strength to keeping the plug inside the apparatus, where the contents would not be ejected.

But the metal began to give way, and cracked shot into existence, the loud sound of the metal giving way reverberating across the cage, as the LCL poured out, much to the shock and horror of all around.

Soon, a torn medical suit flowed out and across the platform, as the LCL finished draining.

"SHINJI-KUN!" screamed Misato in horror, as she took off to the platform.

* * *

Shinji sat in the field, away from the tree, crying. "So ... so much pain." 

"The world can be a cruel bitch at times," said Azrael. "She can chew you up, spit you out, and not even give a damn."

"She is also the All-Mother to all life, be it of Black Moon, White Moon, or you," said Hoshoni. "Its wondrous beauty can be matched by its deadly traps. But such is the way of all life, a mixture of good and bad, light and dark, yin and yang. All exist; as it has been, as it will always be."

"_Second Impact has occurred. Must he live in this hell?"_

"What was that?" asked Shinji.

"Words from your Father, Shinji, not the man who now wears his face," said Yui. "And I told him this: anywhere can be heaven if you try to live. As long as you live, you will always have a chance to obtain happiness."

"He loved me ... once."

Yui nodded, rubbing his head, as the world around them began to dissolve. "He was a great man, Shinji. I saw within him a potential even he himself could not see."

"Mother..." said Shinji, as if the world was beginning to fade away.

"**Thank you ... for allowing me to know ... what life could be..."**

* * *

The group could only stare in tears, watching as Misato cried over the torn medical suit he had been wearing, when she felt ... something. 

"**Thank you ... Shinji."**

None of them recognized the voice, yet all heard it.

Soon, the core began to pulse, glowing an eerie red.

Turning to it, they all hoped, prayed a bit for good fortune, as a figure seemed to begin to walk towards the boundary, growing in size, as it began to emerge, causing a splashing-like sound to emanate into the room as the surface of the core rippled as if he was breeching the waters of the ocean.

Standing before them was Shinji, red eyes open, white hair slick as if he really had been swimming, nude, and eight wings behind him.

Smiling, he waved. "Sorry I'm late," he whispered, before collapsing to the floor, the core's light dimming around him.

The others rushed to him, yelling his name.

"SHINJI!"

* * *

Within the other cages and the Icarus repair bays, the lights within the eyes of all the units shown for a few seconds, as their souls returned as well. 

For now, all was well with the world.

For now, that was enough.

* * *

_The Thirty-third Day..._

Misato and Ritsuko were driving back from NERV, enjoying the break from the stressful job of retrieving Shinji. So far, he had been recovering, and they suspected he could be released from observation within the next day or so.

"Unit 01 will be fully restored in two days," said Ritsuko. "With Shinji out, we can work on replacing those relays that we couldn't risk with him there."

"Will the will of 01 allow it?" asked Misato.

"Shinji believes the will is ... sleeping, for the moment. It appears as if it wishes to help him as well."

"I wonder if 03 and 04 have that will as well."

"Doubtful," said Ritsuko. "Those Evas received blank souls, something that the will of the Eva could make its own. The human souls already had preloaded data; so in a way, the Evas still don't have what they need.

"That's the main reason that we couldn't use the artificial souls inside the first three Evas. They may try and discard the human souls, and we can't be certain they would discard them into a body."

"Kind of sad," said Misato. "I know how much you, Shinji, and Asuka want them back."

"You have no idea, Misato," said Ritsuko. "No idea and I pray you never do."

Sighing and shaking her head, Ritsuko continued with "official" business. "More bad news, it seems the Committee is considering freezing the Evas."

"Their afraid of something they solved years ago?" asked Misato.

"It may be man-made, Misato; but who knows what lurks inside the little black box."

"We should just be glad that Shinji was saved."

"I agree. According to Rei, Shinji is still connected to us all. I'm almost afraid to imagine what could happen if he really did pass."

"Gees, Rits. You make it sound like Shinji's formed a cult."

"Perhaps," she said. "If he is becoming a Seed like we suspect, then his death on us if we are not evolved to the point of not needing him, would result in the extinction of his children."

Looking out the window, Ritsuko sighed. "Do you want to go out to a bar tonight? I think I heard of a few of the girls saying they were headed to that place by the main park."

"Sorry, I've got to be somewhere tonight. I can drop you off if you'd like."

Ritsuko nodded. "I need to get out for the night."

* * *

"See ya!" 

Soon Misato as driving off down the street; leaving a smirking NERV scientist behind her.

"I'm beginning to think things between her and Kaji are improving by leaps and bounds," she said, lighting up a cigarette. "Now if they'd only be courageous enough to admit it."

Shaking her head, she headed into the bar. "Well, I can't criticize her. I just hope they finally find some happiness."

* * *

"Ritsuko must think I'm pretty disgusting," said Misato, as she laid in her bed with Kaji; the couple having finished a small marathon of sex. 

"Appearing to give into our sexual desires makes for a more realistic and human appearance," said Kaji. "Besides, shouldn't engaged couples act as such."

"You make it sound like we're trying to fool them."

"Then why haven't you told anyone that you accepted my proposal?" asked Kaji.

"Between everything that's happened, it just felt ... the wrong time to say anything."

"Who are you trying to fool, Misato?"

"It just is, Kaji. We just got Shinji back. Can we hold off a few more days to say anything?"

He nodded, pulling her closer to his body. "We tell them in three days."

"You've changed, Kaji. You used to never show interest in others, but wanted their attention. You really are just like my dad."

He nodded. "We both needed to almost lose you before finally admitting how we felt." He turned to stare into her eyes. "Shinji gave me a second chance to express my feelings to you, and I took it."

"Do you regret it?"

"Never. Not now, and not in the future." He turned to look towards the dresser. "A cigarette? You still smoke?"

"Only after something like this," she said. "So nobody knows but you."

"I'm glad," he said. "It is ours, a special meaning only we know."

Chuckling, he looked towards Misato. "You think that means Ritsuko's a slut?"

Misato broke down laughing. "Oh, that's rich. With as much as she smokes, I'd wonder?"

"Well, she does spend a lot of time at NERV."

Soon, the laughing died away, leaving only themselves once again.

"What more do you know about Adam and Lilith? Either one could wipe out mankind without a second thought. I know why Lilith is being kept there, but why bring Adam as well?"

"I see Shinji told you about his dead zone near and within the Geo-Front."

"He said the same thing about our trip to pick up Asuka and 02."

"Good reasoning, Misato.

"As for the reason, why not have both at the safest spot on Earth?"

"They want to eliminate each other, for one," said Misato.

"As they are now, they can't do that," said Kaji. "And destroying Adam might stop the other Angels from coming here. They may stay sleeping, or wake up and attack another place at random. For all we know, the Call is all that gives them purpose and direction, and I for one don't want to see what a confused Angel could do."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing I know for certain, or could risk telling you, Misato. My superiors are not too happy that things have gone this way, and I don't want to risk your safety."

"You know what I want, Kaji," said Misato.

"I know," he said. "But we must tread carefully, Misato. These people have proven that they have the technology to hurt an ascended. If we aren't careful, we'll become their targets."

"What are the people who have been pulling the strings after?" asked Misato.

"We have an idea," said Kaji. "We know they think Shinji will interfere."

"Anything else?"

Smiling, Kaji turned to her again. "That is something I would like to know myself." Before Misato could utter a word in protest, Kaji covered her lips with his.

For now, there was nothing beyond the four walls of the room. For now, all they had was each other.

And for now, that was all that they needed.


	20. Past Transgressions

**Chapter 20**

**Past Transgressions**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

Shinji sat on the roof of the apartment complex, his wings flapping gently in the breeze, as he pondered his current situation.

Memories.

He remembered waking up, he remembered fighting the Angel.

Afterwards was a blank; only feelings and brief glimpses could be recalled between the two points.

He turned his head slightly to both sides, spotting the new wings he was sporting. _This is a little messed up; I can't even remember getting the last pair._

That was what was bothering him most of all; the not-knowing. He knew something had occurred. Ritsuko told him that he had been inside the Eva's core for a month, taken in when the Angel had nearly cleaved him in two. He knew his mother resided within the core.

But he had only the vaguest impressions, and even when he had watched the video, seen what Unit 01 did to the Angel ... he couldn't recall one second of it.

"This sucks," he mumbled.

"They do not know as well."

He turned towards the door to the roof, seeing Kaoru leaning against it, his own wings out. "Who doesn't?"

"The Evangelions," he answered, walking towards Shinji. "Mana has also stated to me that Dante and Trident also have no knowledge of the events that transpired between their last engagements and their awakenings after you were ... ejected ... from the core of 01."

Shinji nodded, turning once more to face the scenery instead of looking at the pilot now sitting beside him. "I feel like I should know some things, but it's as if they are out of my reach."

"That must be very agitating."

"Extremely so," said Shinji. "I'm beginning to feel like a pawn, not a player."

"Even in Chess, not all the pieces have incredible power."

"I just want to know the full rules of the game," said Shinji.

"Perhaps you are not ready to know everything, only meant to know that there is something more."

Shinji snorted. "I don't like being used like that."

Kaoru nodded. "Perhaps it will not be as undesirable after you learn what is hidden."

"Maybe," sulked Shinji. "I just hate being placed in a situation like this. I feel like I'm just someone else's tool. I hate that feeling."

"Who are we to question a divine plan?" asked Kaoru.

"Who are we not to?" asked Shinji. "I prefer to think my future is in my hands, and not those of someone else."

"But others control the destiny of others either directly or indirectly."

"I prefer to control my path as much as possible."

"Some events on the path cannot be changed."

"Things that cannot be changed are so because we have yet to discover how to," stated Shinji as he stood up. "I'll be flying around for a bit; can you let the others know?"

Kaoru nodded. "Of course, Shinji-kun."

Nodding, Shinji took off into the air, gliding away from the complex before he began to flap his wings.

Kaoru sighed, wishing once again he knew fully what was going on. Hoshoni had no clue as to what had occurred during Shinji's merger with the core of Unit 01. They suspected it had something to do with Shinji's interaction with the original beast-like spirit of Unit 01 and the soul of his mother, but the evidence was lost in the same mental fog that was obscuring Shinji's own recollection.

"Things are beyond what they should be," he muttered as he turned around to head back to his apartment. "But then again, that is what makes this life so interesting. Well done, Shinji-kun; well done."

* * *

"DAMN IT!" screamed Rara, pulling his hand back from a circuit junction, as he tried to restart the City Defense Grid.

"I warned you," said Kensuke, handing the doctor some burn cream.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," muttered Rara. "Why are you here again?"

"Because the simulators are down and Dante is tired of me asking questions he doesn't have the answers for," said Kensuke. "Besides, I may love piloting, but computers are also my first love."

"You're weird, kid," said Rara, smiling. "But that is a good thing."

Nodding, Kensuke looked into the crawl space where they were replacing damaged boards. "Looks like a power regulator's out."

Rara nodded. "I figure it's the HG-7 module right here. I'll shut it down and pull it out to test."

As they proceeded to test it, Kensuke looked nervously over to Rara.

"Spit it out, kid," said Rara. "You're starting to creep me out looking at me like that."

Kensuke nodded. "I had a question about the wings."

"And you thought I'd know?" asked Rara. "You should be asking Shinji. He's had more experience with them than I've had."

"Well, this isn't something I can ask him," said Kensuke nervously. "I was wondering if you know why he's got eight wings and we've only got two."

"Great," muttered Rara, "wing envy."

"Wing envy?"

"Well, now you want more wings, before that you wanted to be a pilot."

"That's not it at all!" sputtered Kensuke, waving his hands before himself. "I was just wondering when the rest of us could expect wings like that."

Rara paused a bit, setting down the scanner he was using to check the power regulator. "Well, he's had the wings for a long time, before he got his second pair."

"Yeah, but he went from just two to eight in under a year."

"True," Rara said as he resumed checking the regulator. "But you're assuming that what he's going through is standard or enhanced. Truthfully, we don't even have the basic understanding of the principles behind it. It could be natural evolution that he received more wings; they could be a sign of how strong he is, an after effect of Evangelion, exposure to Angels... It could be any number of things. For all we know, this could be solely unique to Shinji, and none of us will receive a second pair or more."

"That would suck," said Kensuke.

"Maybe not," said Rara. "We really have no idea. Shinji could be the future, or a mutation. We'll just have to wait and see." He then turned to face Kensuke. "So stop having wing envy."

"I don't have wing envy!"

Chuckling, Rara turned back to his work. "Listen kid, enjoy what you have; wishing for more than that will often just give you nothing but trouble."

"Whatever," said Kensuke, leaning against a console that was still active.

As the alarm sounded, Rara turned to face him. "What did you do?"

Kensuke looked between the man and the console. "This isn't my fault!"

"_Red alert! All command staff report to the conference table at Central Dogma! I repeat, all command staff are to report to Central Dogma immediately!"_

Rara turned to Kensuke. "You'd better hope that it wasn't something you did!"

"I know," said Kensuke, taking off with him to the command level. "I know."

* * *

"I'll be damned," said Sanada, leaning in his chair. "They actually tried something stupid like that."

Gendo nodded. "Approximately two hours ago, a team entered the apartment of Sub Commander Fuyutsuki and attempted to kidnap him. It was only due to the presence of the Third Child within the local airspace that they were intercepted while performing their operation."

"They still alive?" asked Misato.

"Yes," said Gendo, a small amount of surprise in his voice. "The Third Child was able to ... restrain ... his urges this time."

"There's a change," said Kaji. "Now we have prisoners to interrogate."

"Indeed," said Gendo. "I want a full security check as soon as possible. They may not have been the only team sent to acquire our personnel. I want them fully interrogated, as well as the UN and JSSDF contacted to see if these men were perhaps a Black Ops team.

"Also," he said, holding up several papers, "inquire to their supplier for their weapons. They carried anti-AT Field projectiles."

"Damn," muttered Rara. "That means our ... benefactors ... are back. But this doesn't sound like their usual tactics. They've always struck at Shinji, not anyone else."

"It wasn't for Shinji," said Sanada. "They wanted current information on us. And since the command staff would know the most about our current defenses as well as planned improvements..."

"Then why not attack now?" asked Makoto. "We're still putting this place back together. Now would be the best time to attack."

"Two reasons," said Shigeru. "One is the fact we have the JSSDF and UN forces around Tokyo-3 for security, which means they'd have to go at it alone. The second being they might not be ready to make their move now; just wanting to know what to plan for."

"They won't get UN backing, that's for certain," said Sanada. "The UN's invested too much into this place. And with cooperation from the JSSDF, they're using the hole the Angel's punched into here as an access port to allow the Icaruses to be brought inside like a hanger."

Rara nodded. "They're setting up a command station in the damaged section of the forest. The utilities were already exposed, and it should be done within a few weeks."

"That's good," said Maya. "We'll have a better reaction time now that we don't have to get Mana to the airport quicker."

"Status on repairs?" asked Gendo.

"Shields and City Defense Grid should be online in a few days," said Rara.

"The Jet Alones will be fully repaired by the end of the week," said Sanada.

"The Evangelions are back to active duty," said Ritsuko.

"I want that information quickly, Colonel Katsuragi," said Gendo. "Use whatever resources you have available. I want these men's' lives tracked down from conception to now, as well as how they planned to get the Sub Commander out of the city and past the defense checkpoints of the JSSDF and the UN."

The others nodded as they went to do their tasks.

* * *

"That was a great movie," said Hikari, as she and Toji walked out of the theater.

He nodded, smiling, and fidgeting slightly as Hikari kept holding his hand. "Yeah, nice explosions."

"But what about the love story?" asked Hikari. "Wasn't it wonderful how they found each other at the end?"

Toji sighed. He lucked out and found one movie that Hikari liked and that had enough violence for him, only to have her fixate on the love part of it. Never mind the fact that the guy was killing people left and right, as well as fought a genetically created monster to save the girl. "It was okay."

He kept his mouth shut that he expected to see more at the end than just a simple kiss. _What? They can't show a little over the top action in an R-rated movie?_

"I reminded me of us?"

"Huh?" he asked, stopping to face her. "How were we like that?"

"Well," she started, "you face those Angels to save us all and me; so you're exactly like the main good guy, protecting the girl you're with."

"Well ... I guess so," said Toji. "But you're much better than that blond chick."

"Huh?"

"Well, you ain't stupid enough to fall for all that stuff she did to get caught. I mean, you'd outsmart those idiots that Grawd sent after her. Hell, you'd have him in chains before I'd even killed the first stooge he sent after me."

Smiling, Hikari pecked him on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

She continued to smile. "That's for saying the right thing at the right time, Toji."

Smiling, he turned forward, remembering what his sister had told him.

If a girl does something like that, stay quiet before you say something for her to kick you in the crotch over.

* * *

"So," said Shinji, sitting at the table in the temporary quarters at NERV that were now the home of Fuyutsuki, "my old man was a major pain in the ass."

Kozo nodded. "Truthfully, I never knew what your mother saw in him. He had a mind, but he was able to piss off anyone he met within a few minutes."

"Except mom," said Shinji.

Kozo nodded, offering Shinji a drink. "Yeah. Your mother told me that she saw something special in him, that he was more than what people made him out to be."

"That must have been pretty weak," said Shinji. "It died as soon as Mom did."

Sighing, the older man agreed. "Most likely; I think he began to associate his better side with your mother, and when she passed, all that was left of him was the darker side."

"Doesn't matter," said Shinji. "He couldn't handle anything. He was weak in all things. If he truly loved my mother, then he should have loved me as well. I was her greatest gift to him. But instead, he shunned me, used me as a test subject."

Shinji stood up; setting his glass down, and bowing before Kozo. "He was never a father as far as I'm concerned. He just happened to be some asshole that knocked up my mother. Anything else is worthless information as far as I'm concerned."

Watching him leave, Kozo sighed. He knew Gendo was still shaky on his current plans, now that Yui had belittled him for them. And in some ways, the old teacher could almost spot that spark growing within the Commander once again.

"I fear that there may be too much damage already, Ikari."

* * *

In his office, Gendo sighed, watching the monitors for his Sensei's apartment. "I know, old friend; I know."

* * *

"Come on, Shinji," yelled Asuka at the door. "You promised now."

"I know," came the sullen reply as Shinji left the apartment. "I know I promised this date, Asuka. But I'm not the best of company right now."

"I know that, baka," said Asuka. "That is why I'm asking now."

"You want to suffer?" asked Shinji.

"No, baka," she said, a little anger peaking in her voice. "It is because you need to get out and enjoy yourself. You've been sulking ever since you got out of the hospital."

Shrugging, Shinji shut the apartment door and locked it. Misato was busy at work, Rei had more work on the Dummy Plug system, and PenPen was most likely still hung over. "Where are we going again?" he asked.

"Well, there is this one movie that Hikari and the Fourth Stooge saw that she said was pretty good. Then I figured you could take me out to a nice restaurant."

"Sounds good," Shinji said, trying to sound upbeat.

* * *

"Why are we following them again?" asked Kaoru, hiding with Mana on the roof as the two targets walked off towards the movie theater.

"Well, we're both bored and have nothing better to do," said Mana.

"Is this because you wish to be the lone female that Shinji-kun becomes one with?"

Mana sputtered a bit. "That has nothing to do with it."

"Then you do not wish for intimacy with Shinji-kun?"

"I didn't say that either!"

"Then what is it you wish?" asked Kaoru. "Neither Shinji-kun or yourself, Asuka, or Rei have claimed a solitary relationship to my knowledge. It is merely been the dating courtship rituals most lilim engage in."

"Huh?"

Kaoru sighed. _I keep forgetting to not speak as what I once was, but what I now am._ "None of the females he is currently dating have expressed an interest to formalize the relationship to be exclusive."

Mana played with her fingers, finding them the best place to look in hopes of hiding her blush. "Well ... you see ... that is to say ... well..."

Kaoru nodded. "Is this one of those conversations Shinji-kun warned me about that it would be best if I discontinue?"

"Oh God, yes!" panted Mana.

Kaoru nodded, putting such conversations as discussing their social lives with Mana in the same category as female monthly visitors, as warned to him by Shinji; saying something about time bombs and flying cookware.

And like that, the two were off to "cover" the date.

* * *

"Can we eliminate them where they are at?" asked SEELE 03.

"No," said SEELE 06, "and it would arouse more suspicion if we asked for them to be transferred to a location where we could do so."

"Why were they sent in so ill prepared?" asked SEELE 01. "This operation was poor work."

"We needed answers," said SEELE 11.

"Then we should have summoned Sub Commander Fuyutsuki to us or to a location where he could be properly detained," said SEELE 09.

"The mission was a failure before they left," said SEELE 08. "Of that, there can be no doubt. Now, can we be traced from this mission?"

"No," said SEELE 05. "These men were our private employees, and had no direct interaction with us. Their orders were issued through carriers, and they can be dealt with effectively enough to leave no trail to us."

"Make it so," said SEELE 01. "I want this mess minimized before midnight Greenwich."

"Agreed!" came the reply from the other monoliths.

"We still need information," said SEELE 07. "That request has not changed. If Ikari is changing the scenario, we need to be full apprized of what the future plans are for the defense of Tokyo-3."

"Suggestions?" asked SEELE 01.

"We can try and use our codes to access the MAGI," suggested SEELE 12.

"Worthless," said SEELE 08. "The MAGI have altered their counterparts via the data stream. None of them will currently assist with the breach of Tokyo-3. They are currently developing a counter-program to upload to our MAGI to ensure their loyalty."

"Our mechanized foot soldiers?" asked SEELE 02.

"They will be ready by the scheduled arrival of the Seventeenth Angel," said SEELE 10.

"And our own Evas?" asked SEELE 01.

"Also on schedule," said SEELE 05.

"Very well," said SEELE 01. "Gain the knowledge through ... other means. I want that knowledge as soon as possible, and these new plans will go through this committee before they are implemented. I will not allow for more screw-ups as what had occurred."

* * *

"I fail to see what this will achieve," said Rei.

The date had been going as well as could be expected. Asuka and Shinji had arrived at the movie, Asuka had taken one look at the poster proclaiming it to be a love movie, changed the destination for the love-action movie to the action-comedy, as she was not a lover of love movies.

* * *

_Flashback..._

"Why don't you like romance movies?" asked Shinji.

"Because guys only take you to them to do that stupid yawn and grope trick."

"But didn't you invite me to this movie?"

"That's beside the point. I thought it was good because Hikari recommended it. Also, remind me to make the Fourth Stooge a eunuch."

* * *

"That's not the point," said Mana.

"Then what is the point?" asked Kensuke.

"I don't believe it is healthy for us to ask that," added Kaoru.

"Why?" asked Rei.

"It is my understanding that males are not to ask such question," said Kaoru. "Therefore, only you and Mana are permitted to ask such questions."

Kensuke just grabbed his forehead. "Toji's been helping you on social graces again, hasn't he?"

"How did you know?'

"Anyway," said Mana, "we're just watching the date to make certain Shinji's feeling better."

"Would it not be more efficient to ask him?" Rei stated.

"I suggested that," said Kaoru, "but I was informed that that was not how it was done properly."

"Listen," said Mana. "We're going to do this my way."

"May I ask a question?"

"Yes, Kensuke?" said Mana.

"Wouldn't Shinji be able to sense us with that martial-art thingy he does?"

The others paused, before turning slightly towards the group below them on the street, seeing Shinji tilt his head back slightly and wave at them; however it was not done in the view of Asuka.

"Shit," muttered Mana. "I forgot about that."

"Very well," said Rei. "If this ends the experiment, I shall be off. I have to pick up several purchases for dinner tonight."

"May I accompany you?" asked Kaoru. "I do believe Shinji-kun offered to make dinner for us all tonight, and I wish to assist in some way."

Rei thought it over for a minute before nodding. After all, she would appreciate any assistance in moving the purchases back to the apartment.

"I might as well come too," said Mana. "Maybe one of my pies will help smooth this over. Does Shinji have a favorite pie?"

* * *

"I'm enjoying the lunch," said Asuka.

"I'm glad," said Shinji. "I hope this second date was everything you hoped for."

"Well, you chuckled a bit during the movie, so yeah."

Shinji smiled at that. "Yeah, I guess I have been a bit depressed lately."

Asuka nodded. "Mom's been the same way. She says she knows something important happened, but she can't recall what."

Shinji nodded. "How are you doing? I know it must have been weird to lose that connection to her."

Asuka set her utensils down, before sighing. "Yeah, a little. I mean, I just got her back. I risk losing her every time I pilot."

"But it makes you both happy," said Shinji.

Asuka nodded. "Yeah, it does. I mean, I feel a better connection to her than I ever thought possible. Is it like that for you and your mother?"

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, you can literally feel the love coming from her." He looked out the window, seeing the people passing by, their wings out.

"You know," he said, "everyone really adapted fast to having wings."

Asuka nodded. "Well, humans are known for adaptability."

"True," he said, smiling. "And they are all feeling happier with it. Guess I did good."

Asuka nodded. "Shinji, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Can you tell me about your past?" she asked. "I know you've learned a bunch about mine, but I hardly know about you."

He nodded. Soon, thanks to the privacy of their booth, he told her of his past. His last moments with his mother, the tests, the time he spent with his caregivers, his friends, and a few stories of his early adventures in grade school when he could attend without exposing his wings.

"Wow," said Asuka, finishing off her beverage. "Makes my childhood almost seem normal."

"It wasn't too bad," said Shinji. "At least I eventually had a happy life."

"And with our mothers back," said Asuka.

"Who knows," said Shinji. "Maybe I can free them one day."

"And the Evas themselves?" said Asuka.

"I really don't know. I'd like to free them as well, but the Evas already have their own bodies. The first three just lack their own souls. It's a damned if I do and damned if I don't scenario."

Asuka nodded. "Can't free them without knowing both that they'll get bodies and that the Evas will survive to receive an Artificial Soul. Don't free them, and Naoko and our moms remained trapped for all eternity."

Shinji nodded. "I'm changing, Asuka."

"What?"

"That's why I've been acting like I have the last few days," he said, looking out the window again. "I can feel something in me changing."

Asuka nodded. "How bad?"

"I can recall certain facts about NERV, the MAGI, and the first expeditions to the Antarctica after Second Impact, the preliminary dates of construction for the first three Evangelions, and the construction of the Geo-Front.

"Then," he said, his voice taking a darker turn, "we have the dreams."

"How bad?"

"Bad," he said. "But those ... I'd rather save until we have everyone together. It'll save me time from having to explain them again and again."

Asuka nodded. "Well, shall we do it after dinner?"

Shinji nodded.

Sighing, Asuka grabbed her phone from her purse. "I'll be back; make certain they didn't spit in my food."

* * *

Everyone had gathered at NERV, sitting around the table, waiting for Shinji to speak of his dream.

"Well?" Misato asked.

Sighing, he began. "As you guys know, there's only about three Angels left, if my dreams are correct."

"Actually five," said Sanada, "unless you've defeated Adam and Lilith without us knowing."

Shinji smiled a bit. "No, but my memory is a little fuzzy.

"Anyway," he continued, "the ending is changing."

"How so, Shinji-kun?" asked Kaoru.

His eyes turned red, almost as red as Rei's and Kaoru's eyes. "As the Fifteenth Light challenges us, the Grey shall be torn between the two moons. For the battle of the Sixteenth Light, the shadows of the fallen shall strike back."

"What the fuck does that mean?" asked Asuka.

Shinji shook his head, his eyes returning to their normal coloring. "I have no clue. But that's all I get from the dreams. I know the symbols, just not what they mean to us as a whole."

"If that battle with the Fifteenth means we'll have evil twins running around, I quit," said Toji. "I didn't sign on to end up in some bad Star Trek plot."

"I rather liked those episodes," said Rara. "I always wondered what my parallel self would look like."

Sanada shivered a bit. "Two Raras? God, I'd eat a bullet just to avoid that."

"Didn't the evil ones always have the goatee?" asked Kensuke.

Slowly, everyone turned to face Rara. "What?"

"What about the changes?" asked Asuka.

Nodding, Shinji turned to face them. "I can't pull in my wings anymore."

"Um ... that is bad ... because?" stated Toji.

"Withdrawing the wings into oneself requires a clear state of mind," replied Kaoru. "If Shinji-kun can still achieve this state and is still unable to withdraw his wings, then he is encountering a problem."

Shinji nodded. "I'm changing, and I can't be certain what I'm becoming."

Taking in a deep breath, Shinji smiled to all of them. "Just to let you guys know in case I go crazy; I'll understand if you need to put me down." Not waiting for their reply, he turned and left, his mind already on the new problems ahead, and trying to decipher what the dreams meant.

* * *

"He becoming a damned Angel," spat Misato, currently sitting with Kaji and Ritsuko in a bar at the Geo-Front.

"So," said Ritsuko. "This doesn't change who he is. This is just a redefinition of what he is."

"But Angels have been nothing but trouble," said Misato. "Lilith tries to kill him, we haven't heard a single peep from Adam, and today we just learned some damned symbolistic visions of what the next two will be like."

"Is 'symbolistic' even a word?" asked Kaji.

"Not that I know of," said Ritsuko.

"Smart people make up their own words," said Misato rubbing her forehead.

"And how does what Shinji is possibly becoming change anything?" asked Ritsuko. "You stopped caring about his wings when he moved in with you."

"I ... I don't know," said Misato. "It's like I know the truth, but I also know what he is. They are fighting harder now."

"People change, Misato," said Kaji, sipping on his beer. "But the core rarely ever changes. The Shinji who you live with is still at his core, the same Shinji who moved in with you, and the same Shinji that has always risked his life to save us from the Angels, from the rouge Jet Alone..."

"The same Shinji who ripped apart an attacking force," said Misato.

"The same Shinji who sparred those attacking Sub Commander Fuyutsuki," added Ritsuko. "Listen, Misato; either work past this, or ask the pilots to move out. We don't have time to deal with your issues at the moment."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked defensively.

"You can look out that window, see all that construction, and honestly tell me we have time for this shit," stated Ritsuko.

Misato shook her head. "Okay, then can someone give me an excuse why I'm freaking out now?"

Kaji shrugged. "Intimacy issues?"

Misato gave him an evil eye. "You better not be suggesting I want to sleep with him?"

"Not at all," said Kaji. "But you have to admit that back in college, when I got close to your heart; you tried to push me away."

"You're just afraid that if Shinji's an Angel," said Ritsuko, "that you'll be forced to kill him, and you don't want to suffer that hit against your humanity."

"Maybe," said Misato. "If I have to, it'd be better if he despised me, and if I hated him as well."

"Wouldn't it be better if Shinji was further grounded against such actions," said Kaji, "but such activities as strong emotional ties to those he would have to face?"

"So I'm just being a stubborn ass, huh?"

"Oh yes," said Kaji.

"Very much one," agreed Ritsuko.

* * *

_Path..._

_Understanding..._

_Hope..._

_Knowledge..._

_These are what I require, what I need to guide me. These are the tools that I use to make my way in this life._

_Darkness..._

_Confusion..._

_I find my path as dark as ever, yet even more clear to me._

_Grey Moon?_

_Grey Seed?_

_Grey?_

_I am growing, into what, I do not know. _

_My path lies before me._

_To choose, I choose for all. Angels, lilim, hybrids._

_What are we?_

_What am I?_

_What is the purpose of this?_

_Is their a divine purpose?_

_Children of Adam seek to destroy me in the battlefield of reality._

_Lilith seeks to kill me within the battlefield of my mind._

_Her children ... torn of their choices and dealings with me._

_My path is clear; I shall face the Angels, I shall win._

_My path afterwards is uncertain._

_Will I stay?_

_Can I stay?_

_Seeds are meant to be planted, to grow new plants._

_If I become a Seed, then what? What will happen to me? What will be my future when I achieve my full form?_

_I don't want to leave. Earth is my home, these people are my friends._

_Changed? Have I changed? Have I become more? Have I become less?_

_What have I become?_

_What am I becoming?_

_Destiny..._

_Fate..._

_Unknowns continue to plague my life, altering the course on whims of fancy._

_My family..._

_My friends..._

_Those that matter the most to me..._

_Those that need my help the most..._

_I fail to see the purpose, to know the reasoning behind these events._

_The Gods... They created tools to make life, never end it, even if those consequences are the life already there being eradicated._

_My path..._

_My truth..._

_My Seed..._

_I shall not stop._

_I shall not fail._

_They need me to succeed, and thus ... I shall._

* * *

In the city of Moscow, the police were currently going over a crime scene.

It involved a middle-class woman. Her family stated she had only left to get groceries for dinner. She had no enemies; her husband had no enemies...

She had no reason to be killed ... at least, whatever reasons were usually given by someone who would do such a thing.

But here she was. Her purse was untouched. Her clothes were not ripped or torn, aside from the knife wound where her heart was.

And what was worse was that she had been ... changed.

Her husband had told the police officers that his wife had a tattoo around her belly button, a remnant of their pre-Second-Impact dating days.

It was gone.

Not knowing what to do, they had a sketch artist draw it up, wondering how someone could steal a tattoo. After all, people had been killed for lesser reasons than a particular tattoo they had.

But as he looked at the drawing, he was amazed. "I've never seen one like this."

His lieutenants nodded in agreement. "Though," said one, "I swear I've seen this before. I just can't remember where."

If he had paid closer attention, he would have recalled seeing this tattoo a few months ago.

The tattoo was of Sahaquiel, the Tenth Angel.

* * *

Shinji stared at the form of Unit 01, its own eight wings still extended, as if it was still being piloted. Even with Shinji's expulsion from the core, the unit still showed active status by keeping its wings out.

"It looks like Fate is still playing a role in our lives," said Shinji.

"**It would appear so, my son."**

Shinji nodded. "I need to get some sleep. Goodnight, Mother."

As he left, the purple face followed him out of the cage, before it turned to look at the control booth, seeing the sad face of the Commander of NERV. **"Well?"**

Gendo remained silent, before turning away. He knew he was not ready to face her again.

Fortunately, neither he nor his wife knew what to say. That was for the best at the moment.

Hearts and minds can mend.

The past, however; always keeps those wounds closer than anything else.


	21. Between Moons of Black and White

**Chapter 21**

**Between Moons of Black and White**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

_There were some things not meant for the eyes and hands of mortal men and women. _

_The power of the S2 organ—or the S2 engine for the pre-constructed types—is such an item. _

_Their power is both immense and unlimited, having no end in sight as long as it has something ... anything, with which to convert to energy for the organism in a 1:1 ratio._

_The most startling proof of this was in the Pacific Testing Grounds for the reconstructed S2 engine that had once been the S2 core and organ of the Fourth Angel; Shamshel. When activated, a deviation in its design was immediately made clear, as a large section of the area was immediately converted into energy, until the S2 engine turned on itself._

_An island ... gone._

_Seventy eight scientists and four ships, including one UN battle cruiser were lost._

_No bodies..._

_No wreckage..._

_It reminds me of the largest fault of those in power now: they assume their power is absolute, their knowledge infinite and perfect. They willingly dabble in forces not fully under their control, trying to force and shape the world, mold it into their own image of what reality should be._

_A self-fulfilling prophecy... That's what we are in now. They disturbed Adam, seeing him as their dreams given form. They had no knowledge or care that the failsafe was in place, that activating it would damage Lilith for a second time._

_Life was not supposed to take four billion years to form on any world a Seed fell on. But each Seed has access only to so much energy with which to start genesis, with that amount determining the speed of genesis._

_The activation of the failsafe drained that energy, and thus it took Lilith four billion years to make Earth habitable enough for a sentient species to thrive._

_Adam was barely tapping into his own energy to start genesis on the world that slammed into Earth to create the moon; Luna. When the failsafe was tampered with, the Giant of Light was able to try and redo his genesis, doing what he and Lilith were each programmed to do in their very base nature: create life._

_Antarctica; now a sea of LCL and spires of ice; set for the primordial soup that the Seed would use to start life. It's interruption causing Adam to release fifteen seeds of light, which would become the fifteen Angels we are to face._

_How did they know? How did the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls know of this? How did they know of the fifteen seeds? How did they know of what we face today?_

_Was it planned?_

_Was this part of a program beyond the Seeds, beyond any of us; a remnant of the Gods that created the Angels in the first place?_

_Whether destiny or free will, fate or random chance, it has occurred. Despite the signs, those wishing for power to reshape the world ignored the obvious warnings of a self fulfilling prophecy and took us into this war._

_Now Lilith's connection to Earth is fading, Adam's own connection is slowly fading into the ether as well._

_My own connection?_

_I am a Grey Seed; neither a child wholly of the Black Moon or that of the White Moon._

_Oddity..._

_Abnormality..._

_Anomaly..._

_Why am I different? Is my purpose an error?_

_I don't know._

_I don't care._

_I know what I want and what I need to do._

_I will protect my friends with my life._

_Grey Moon ... Grey Seed ... enemy of the Angels, yet an Angel myself._

_But then what?_

_What will happen if we win?_

_Will they all die out? Can I save them all?_

_Nearly changing the small area centered around Tokyo-3 nearly killed me. Changing people into Children of the Grey was not a conscious action, more of a reaction, a sign of the power that I now possessed._

_But do I possess the power, or am I merely a tool for a will greater than my own._

_I really need to stop watching theology debates._

_A Seed will only remain on a world until the life it creates no longer needs its support. This is why Lilith was still here. If humanity had evolved to a point where she was no longer needed to support their souls, she would have moved on. After that, even Adam would not have been able to begin genesis on this world. Once a world reaches that point, genesis can not be undertaken, and he too would leave._

_Does this mean when I have achieved all I can, when they need me no more to stand on their own ... that I too will be forced to leave?_

_Can I still stay if I want to? What would I be seen as?_

_I hate this. I hate being different, I hate having this power ... and I hate being put into a position where I have no choice but to accept it all._

_Life sucks ... and then you are supposed to die._

_Unless you believe in reincarnation, then you get to repeat this fucked up cycle until a higher or lower power decides the journey of your soul is ended._

_Rei..._

_Asuka..._

_Toji..._

_Kaoru..._

_Mana..._

_Kensuke..._

_Misato..._

_Ritsuko..._

_Maya..._

_Naoko..._

_Mother..._

_Kyoko..._

_Azrael..._

_Hoshoni..._

_My friends... My family..._

_They don't know this ... they can't know this! This is my burden and my burden alone!_

_If they knew ... they'd worry. They'd spend time trying to find out if I would be forced to leave ... and try to find a way for me to stay._

_We have other things to worry about. There are still three Angels left, and I have yet to see the one that will side with us._

_Even then, there is no guarantee that they will stay as such._

_The Grey will be torn between the two moons..._

_The shadows of the fallen shall strike back..._

_Hints of what lie ahead. I don't know what they mean._

_My luck, it will mean I will see that familiar ceiling again in the regeneration chamber._

_I hate familiar ceilings._

_It wouldn't be so bad ... if they just repairs those damned cracked tiles ... and maybe give you some entertainment inside the tube._

_Floating for hours on end with nothing to distract you..._

_And I thought our teacher was boring..._

* * *

"May I enquire the reason for this outing?" asked Kaoru.

Shinji nodded his head towards a bench on the other side of the clearing. "What do you see over there?"

Kaoru looked towards the bench, spotting a girl sitting. She was reading a book, round glasses on her nose, and long black-purple hair flowing down her back. "It appears to be the new transfer student to our class; Miss Mayumi Yamagishi, if I recall."

Shinji nodded. "Bit of a bookworm, friendly girl, and very much like you."

"Me?" asked Kaoru, startled.

Shinji nodded. "Since she's a transfer student, she wasn't ascended, but she's close. She also has a heavy crush on you, according to the local gossip."

Kaoru nodded, stunned at such a revelation. "If she has such desires of me, why has she not pursued them?"

"She's shy," said Shinji. "Combined with low self-confidence, she's unsure of herself."

"May I ask why you are informing me of this?" asked Kaoru.

"Simple, you need to date. I know your old guardians neglected a lot of your social training, but I think you two would be good for each other."

"I ... see," said Kaoru. He was unsure of what to make of this development. He had long been hoping that by keeping a distance, it would hurt them less in the long run if he had to follow the path he was originally born for.

But this girl also saw value in him; more than the others, as hers was of a romantic nature.

It was a position Kaoru was unfamiliar with, having only watched Shinji's escapades from a distance. _A Lilim finds me ... attractive. This is most odd._

But now, he had another opportunity to spend time as the Lilim do, and that included the ability to seek out a mate.

Not that he expected it to be easy. His earlier observations of the courtship rituals of Lilim seemed to mirror several in the Animal Kingdom, from bright colors, strutting, smells, and even attempts to highlight desirable attributes.

However, since this girl seemed not to fit into those standardized social situations, Kaoru was at a loss of what to do.

Sighing, Shinji walked closer to him. "Go over to her and strike up a conversation. Some say the best way to win a person's heart is to win over their mind."

"But I have no desire to rewrite her personality."

Seeing that Kaoru's face neither betrayed if he was serious or joking, Shinji elaborated. "No; go over and talk with her. Have a normal discussion, and see whether or not your personalities mesh well to the point that her mind stimulates more interest in her."

"Oh," said Kaoru, smiling. "Very well, Shinji-kun; I shall make this endeavor."

Shaking his head, Shinji stayed nearby in case Kaoru needed another pep talk. _Man, this is more proof someone is out to get me, and not in an Earthly manner._

* * *

"Hello."

Mayumi blinked, looking up from her book to the source of the sound of the interrupting voice. "K-K-Kaoru!"

"Yes," he said, smiling, even as his senses were telling him there was something extremely different about this girl. "I was perhaps wondering if you were busy, or if I may accompany you for a bit."

"O-of course," she stuttered, scooting over on the bench.

"May I enquire as to what you are reading?"

"Oh," she said, startled. "This is a book on the History of Mozart."

"An interesting choice; is there any particular reason why you chose to read this tome?"

"Well, you might think this is weird, but I'd never read it before, so that just makes me want to read it."

"Ah," said Kaoru.

_Now he thinks I'm a freak._

"It is a noble ambition."

"Huh?"

Kaoru nodded, still smiling. "It is very rare to meet a person who wishes to expand their knowledge in an area simply because they find the opportunity, and not due to some need for that particular area. You simply wish to pursue knowledge because it is there to be taken."

Mayumi blinked. "I just thought it was because I was a bookworm."

Chuckling a bit, Kaoru nodded. "But do not bookworms enjoy reading the books they do merely to experience them."

"I ... guess so. I just know I love books and love to read."

"They are neither mutually exclusive ideas."

"I guess not," said Mayumi, smiling. _He really is a great guy!_

"Mayumi, would you like to go for a walk with me? We can discuss whatever you wish."

Her eyes opened wide. _Oh my; he asked me out! _"Um ... okay."

Standing up, Kaoru offered her his hand. "Then shall we be off?"

Smiling, she took his hand, staring at it.

And thus, she missed as his eyes momentarily dilated, before returning to normal.

* * *

"It was a dangerous move to send her in," said SEELE 01. "We were barely able to control it in the lab. But to send them now..."

"Perhaps," said SEELE 03, "but we are fast approaching a point of no return. If we do not use everything at our disposal to either weaken or remove the anomaly, then we shall quickly find our scenario worthless."

"You do realize it is just as powerful as any other of them," said SEELE 02. "If it discovers the truth..."

"It neither has access to this supposed commonality that the other Angels have access to, nor can it send data to it."

"As far as you know," said SEELE 04. "These are areas we have little data on."

"Be that is it may," said SEELE 02, "it should upset Ikari's plans at the least, since it is not mentioned within the Scrolls. If we can create uncertainty in the least, or even give the appearance of power we do not have, it may be a deciding factor in things to come."

"And what of our former bell?" asked SEELE 03.

"Let him be for now," said SEELE 01. "At the moment, he is of no threat to either us or the plan."

"Are you certain?" asked SEELE 04.

"We shall see," said SEELE 01, as both he and the others faded from their room.

* * *

_I can sense it even now, more clearly than I ever had before._

_And all I can see in it is a sadness and a longing beyond what I can help at this time._

_Illusion. That is what it is; an Angel of Illusion, nested in her heart._

_I cannot sense a name, an identity with which to call it. It may not have a name yet, no understanding of its own nature and possible paths before it._

_It cries in pain. _

_It is of my first family, brought into this world for a purpose not ordained by the All-Father. It was brought into this world for **their** purpose, the purpose of my former task-masters. _

_Can it be helped as I was? Surely, it is close enough to influence; the core of its very being resting inside its Lilim Avatar._

_They have done a dangerous venture._

_But I do not find my loyalties divided with them. No; my plans never included allowing them their wishes._

_My loyalties are divided now between my life among the Lilim and what my life as a Child of the All-Father entails._

_And once again, a new issue has crept into play that divides me even more: Mayumi._

_Shinji-kun was quite correct. I find that her interactions with me have produced a enjoyable response. I find now that our evening is over and I have dropped her off at her apartment—which I am certain was also part of SEELE's plan due to it also residing in the same apartment building as Shinji-kun and the rest of us—I find myself desiring her company once again._

_Very strange ... yet a very enjoyable experience._

_So this is the life of the Lilim. _

_No matter what, I shall cherish that I was able to at least experience this._

* * *

"They've started construction on all the Evas up to Unit 13?" asked Misato, astounded. "And at seven different locations around the world?"

"Yeah; the information comes from Shanghai, so it is definitely on the level," said Makoto, leaning against the back of a bench.

Currently, he and Misato were outside the Pyramid, which was still undergoing reconstruction. She was facing the large site, as he was facing the area that was to be the internal base for the Jet Alone project, consisting of mostly repair facilities and a launch platform for the Icarus-Class JAs to the surface.

"But it makes no sense," said Misato. "We know from Shinji that there are only three Angels left. Why would they speed up the construction process now?"

"Well, we do have four heavily damaged Evas," suggested Makoto. "Add to that the fact it taken more than a month to even get to over ninety percent completion on the repairs for the Goliath and the Icarus Jet Alones to be repaired. They may be trying to create a reserve force."

"Perhaps, but we've been receiving spare parts from Germany that were originally intended for Units 05 and 06, as well as from America for Units 11 and 12. They've been spending an awful lot of money lately."

"And that's after they doubled the budget," added Makoto. "Not that we touch it much considering what the developed technologies bring in. But it's obvious the executives are being driven by something."

"Most likely our formerly generous backers," said Misato.

"Do you think they might be doing this in anticipation that the next Angels might attack in a group?" asked Makoto. "We know they have the old data, and they have been becoming more difficult to defeat with our current forces."

"Maybe, but there's no reason for them to be doing this so much outside the official channels."

"There is one possibility," said Makoto.

"And that is?"

"That the other Evas aren't being ready for us."

Misato nodded, not wanting to voice the conclusion to Makoto's argument.

That the other Evas were being readied quicker to be used **against** them.

* * *

It was a quiet dinner at the Katsuragi Home. Shinji was eating with his usual enthusiasm, as was Rei, with Asuka delivering random glances at him.

Misato just observed them as she usually did, not feeling like teasing at the moment. She could tell the girls were still a little protective of Shinji at the moment, having been but a few days since his return from the core of Unit 01. She had already found Rei clutching him once again while she slept, afraid her light would go.

The same could almost be said for Asuka, the girl's eyes showing signs of lack of sleep; more likely the result of her split attention between the worry for the boy she would finally admit to respecting, and the worry of the ongoing repairs to the current container of her mother's soul; Unit 02.

Rei was being her usual hard to read self, but had yet to show her odd sense of humor that day.

And finally, it came to Shinji. "Would you all quit doing that?"

"Doing what?" asked Misato.

"Hovering around me," he said. "You guys act like I'm about to be abducted into thin air at any moment."

"Stop complaining, Fairy Boy," growled Asuka, her lack of sleep making her a bit edgier than usual, added with it being ... the time for her period.

Sighing, Shinji grabbed both his plate and any empty dishes on the table, before retreating to the kitchen. "But you all act like I'll die without one of you watching me."

"You almost did die, Shinji," said Misato. "You even admitted that yourself."

He paused for a bit. "No, what happened to me was both far better and far worse than that."

"How would you know; you can't remember much of it," added Asuka.

He looked at her, feeling understanding and ... something more, something he had been feeling a lot as he looked upon the faces of his fellow pilots. "It's just something I know."

"Your wishes for us to cease such actions will not curtail them," said Rei. "You are an important person, and thus will be watched and looked upon with care. This is the price you have been made to pay for being as you have been, and having faced what you have."

"A deep thought from Wondergirl without a joke," chuckled Asuka. "Misato, check the weather outside, I believe Hell finally froze over."

"It could not," said Rei, "or your father would have instructed you and your two siblings to prepare for a snow battle."

Before anyone could respond, the phone began to ring, eliciting a loud giggle from Misato. "Spoke too soon, Rei. That might be him now."

Shinji smiled as a fight of words broke out, as he went to answer the phone. It had been too long since he had experienced a moment like this, where they could be viewed as family as well as friends.

But that did little to ease the angry pain within his core, wondering how much longer such events would be possible.

Let alone, how long before such events might no longer include him.

* * *

Asuka walked gingerly around NERV HQ, her cramps worse than usual. "Why do I have to suffer through this?" she asked.

"I was aware that a menstrual cycle was part of a healthy female biologic process," said Rei.

"What, you act like cramps aren't a problem."

"Compared to the pains endured piloting EVA, they are not," said Rei. "The failed activation experiment I endured before Shinji-kun's arrival was a more painful event then this ... period ... I am currently experiencing."

Asuka just growled. "Then as ascended, shouldn't we be beyond such faulty biologic processes?"

Rei paused a bit, putting her hand to her chin. "I believe this is what they mean by 'An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens'."

"Excuse me?"

"It is a quote from Thomas Jefferson, the Third American President."

"And how does it apply to me."

"You exercise your popularity and thus your power on a regular basis, thus this pain is the result."

"So what, I should be like you?" growled out Asuka.

"Perhaps; I know I do not suffer extreme pain as you do."

"Well then," said Asuka, cracking her knuckles. "You just confirmed a quote of Harlan Ellison."

"Which is?"

"He said that 'The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity', and by picking a fight with me when I have cramps, you just proved it!"

* * *

Shinji sighed as he rode in the elevator with Toji, who was currently holding an ice pack to his chin. "Asuka caught you, didn't she?"

He nodded.

"Was Rei involved?"

He nodded.

"She left you to take the beating?"

He shook his head.

"Oh, you said something to turn her attention onto you?"

He nodded.

Shinji shook his head. "God, I didn't think anyone was stupid enough to pick on Asuka right now."

The elevator opened, showing Kensuke with a similar ice pack on his eye.

"Asuka?" asked Shinji.

"Yeah," muttered Kensuke.

Sighing, Shinji shook his head. "Be glad you heal quicker now; that's all I'm going to say until they release the 'all clear' signal."

* * *

Rara was rubbing his chin. "May I ask why you did that?"

Sanada just shrugged. "It was either you or me after Rei did that, and I have a family to take care of."

"So do I!"

"Well, you survived."

"Whatever," muttered Rara. "Damn German female, mean right hook, I tell you."

Passing by, Maya just smiled. "Maybe it is a female ascended thing."

The two men paled, each having daughters who had already started puberty.

As she passed them, she was stopped by Ritsuko.

The bottle blond smiled, nodding at her assistant. "I have taught you well."

* * *

"We have visual confirmation on the Angel; maximum magnification."

The screen changed, showing a creature of pure light, glowing in space, stretched out almost like a bird of prey.

Makoto was busy at his station, correlating the incoming information. "Its orbit is just outside our defense envelop."

"And it's maintaining a constant distance from us," said Shigeru.

"So is it looking for a nice spot to land or will it destroy us from up there?" asked Misato.

"We can't attack it from this distance," said Makoto.

"Even the Icarus units couldn't get it," said Rara. "Their particle cannons aren't meant for such an assault, and the beam would disperse too much to breech an AT Field."

Sanada sighed. "Same problem with the Goliath series."

"What about overcharging the main cannons in the defense grid?" suggested Maya.

"Our biggest problem would be gravity," said Ritsuko. "That defense envelop is also the area a shell would be able to impact."

"It looks like there isn't much we can do unless it comes into our range," said Misato.

Shigeru shrugged. "It looks like they just took the next approach. They must have devised this around the stolen data."

"Do we have anything designed to combat an enemy still in orbit?" asked Misato.

"Maybe," muttered Sanada. "Rara, come here for a moment."

Misato looked at the two scientists. "Anything we can do while you two talk?"

Sanada nodded. "Well, we could use an idea how strong of an AT Field this thing can throw up."

Nodding, she turned to Ritsuko. "What Units do we have available?"

"We have Units 00 through 02. Units 03 and 04 are only at seventy-nine percent repaired," answered Ritsuko.

"Okay then," said Misato. "Asuka, Rei, I want you two to take point. Once on the surface, grab the enhanced positron rifles and plug them in directly to the old umbilical cables."

"What will that do?" asked Asuka.

"Give them one hell of a kick."

"That is unwise," said Rei. "Such an action would cause irreparable damage to the system. There is also a chance it would cause the guns to explode after the first shot."

"I know," said Misato, her voice slightly lower. "But it's our best option at the moment."

"What's the matter, Wondergirl; no balls for this sort of action?"

"I am female, and thus do not have testicles, Pilot Soryu."

Asuka growled. "Damn it; Unit 02, LAUNCH!"

"Ma'am," said Maya, "what about Unit 01?"

"Um," spoke Rara, "we might need it for our idea."

"Fine then," said Misato.

Ritsuko stood near her friend. "You do realize this will probably blow out the energy conduits for that whole section of Tokyo-3, if not for the whole umbilical network."

"We needed to remove them anyway," Misato causally explained. "This way, we have a legitimate excuse to upgrade things."

Ritsuko nodded.

* * *

The two EVA Units stood in the pouring rain, waiting for their weapons to arrive.

"Pilot Soryu?"

"What is it, Wondergirl?"

"I am sending you two more codes to further remove the safeties on the positron laser cannons."

Asuka blinked. "May I ask why you are being so generous?"

"If we fail, only Shinji-kun will be left to engage this Angel. Since he stated that this Angel would tear the Grey between the Black and White Moons. If he is brought out, then it is conceivable that this Angel would perhaps kill him."

Asuka paused in her response. "You're worried about him."

"As are you."

Sighing, Asuka input the codes into the control system for managing the rifle. "You better be right, Wondergirl."

"We shall discover when we fight the Angel."

"Wondergirl ... good luck."

Nodding, Rei closed the private channel, leaving Asuka with only her thoughts.

"**You wish to protect him as she does, my daughter."**

"So?"

"**I am proud you have discovered someone you wish to act that way for."**

Smiling, Asuka gripped the rifle as it shot out of the ground. "Thanks, Mama."

* * *

The two trained their weapons on the Angel, their own AT Fields up to full power in case it went badly and the Angel did not enjoy the attention.

Mostly, it was to protect themselves when and if the particle beam rifles exploded in their hands.

Sadly, the Angel stayed far enough away for the targeting software to have trouble locking on.

And then ... it decided to strike first.

* * *

"A particle beam weapon!" cried out Misato.

"No thermal emissions detected!" yelled out Makoto.

"Ma'am," yelled out Maya, "abnormal readings on their psycho-graphs! Mental contamination eminent!"

"The Angel's attacking the Ego-border!" yelled out an astonished Ritsuko. "They understand human psychology that much?"

Over the communications lines, the screams of Asuka and Rei could be heard as the beam stayed on them.

"Quick," yelled Misato, "activate the blast barricades!" She prayed they were still strong enough to hold off whatever the Angel was attacking with.

Before each of the Evangelions, a large metal door rose from the ground, knocking the rifles from their hands, as the shielded them from the light.

"Asuka, Rei; report!" yelled out Misato.

"Unit 00 is still ... functional," weakly replied Rei.

"Asuka?" asked Misato.

"It was ... it was trying to rape my mind," she replied, before she fell silent.

"Asuka!"

"She's unconscious, ma'am," said Maya.

"Can we pull them in?" asked Misato worriedly.

"Not without re-exposing them to that neural attack," said Shigeru.

"We can't wait long," said Ritsuko. "Those blast doors may be working now, but if the Angel changes its position..."

"Then those barriers are worthless," finished Misato.

* * *

"You want to what?" yelled out Misato. "Do you know what that will do to him?"

"Hear us out," said Sanada.

Sitting back down in her chair, Misato nodded for them to continue. Already, the Angel was beginning to show signs it might be preparing to change it's location to continue the attack. It was still keeping two separate beams on the locations of each EVA.

Taking a deep breath, Sanada continued. "Now, we know from the last battle that we have two weapons that can cut through an AT Field as if it wasn't even there.

"One is these bullets recovered from the assault on Shinji."

"And the other?" asked Misato impatiently.

"The other is the swords created by Unit 01 in the battle with the Fourteenth," said Rara. "We've checked, and their almost identical in molecular composition."

"And how do you propose we use them?" asked Misato. "That thing's launched a separate beam assault when we tried to send Units 03 and 04 to attack, and they didn't even have a chance to activate their AT Fields. It's only because we set the system to lower them quickly that they never received an attack."

Rara nodded. "We place Unit 01 on the Icarus launch rails, load him with spare boosters we use for the Icaruses to make high altitude flights, and he can achieve orbit."

"If Shinji can modulate his AT Field like the previous Angel in space did to change his trajectory, then he can intercept the target and eliminate it."

"And what about protection from the Angel's weapon?" asked Misato. "And of course, how does he return to Earth? Do you have those answers?"

Sanada nodded. "The attack is still an energy form, which means an AT Field can block it."

"Only in theory," said Ritsuko. "Even then, we can't be certain how long it would last."

"And the return?"

"Shinji's the best person who knows how to fly. Besides, an AT Field will protect him during reentry just as it did the Angel that tried to flatten us."

"I'll do it."

The group turned towards the Third Child, who was looking at them from the console beside them, still inside his EVA. "Shinji," said Misato.

"Misato, it's the only way. If we don't do something soon, it will start attacking them again."

"Proceed with the operation, Mr. Sanada," said Gendo.

He turned to leave, before turning his head back to the console. "Pilot Ikari; I expect both you and your EVA back here in one piece."

Blinking, Shinji just shut off the feed.

Smiling, Gendo turned back to his desk and resumed his approach. He knew his son wouldn't believe it.

Even Gendo wasn't sure if he believed it. But the man wanted Shinji to succeed. He was unsure what the results would be; but he knew what Yui would think if he did nothing.

And as of now, he didn't want her any madder at him than she already was.

* * *

"_Unit 01 Launch will be in T-one minute."_

Shinji looked upward as the rest of the boosters were hurriedly attached. The window for a successful intercept was shrinking, and even now, it would be a small chance of intercept.

And an even smaller chance of return.

Rei...

Asuka...

They were counting on him.

And he would not fail.

Working in quick moves, he held the twin swords close to his body as he could, his wings wrapping around him to give a more streamlined appearance, almost as if the EVA was cocooned within them.

"Shinji?"

He looked at his display, seeing the worried face of Mana on it. "Yeah, Mana."

"I wish I could help."

Smiling, he nodded. "Want to trade."

"Yes."

He shook his head. "I'll make it back."

"Promise?"

"I promise," he said. We do have that date after all."

"Just keep the promise," she said, tears lightly now dotting her face.

Smiling, Shinji cut the connection, as he stared up at the still closed doors of the launch apparatus. "We'll make it."

"**We cannot be stopped, my son."**

"I know, Mother. We will win."

* * *

"Capacitors for the launch sled now at one hundred and five percent and climbing," said Rara.

The plan was simple at this stage. To give Shinji as much thrust as possible before igniting the boosters, they would ramp up the speed of the sled to the surface as much as possible.

"One hundred and fifty eight."

"The capacitors are showing signs of instability."

The door would be opened as soon as he passed the halfway point; since they had no idea if that would alert the Angel to their presence. They had no idea how long an AT Field could stop the mental assault. But it was safe to say it would be shorter than the time needed to intercept the Angel. One wrong calculation or execution after launch, and Shinji could either hit the atmosphere and reenter, or continue past possible recovery. He needed to be clear-headed for as long as possible until intercept.

"Two hundred and seven percent!"

"We're losing them!"

"Unit 01 LAUNCH!" yelled Misato, as he took off.

Shinji felt the increased G-forces assault him as he took off along the rails at more than twice the recommended safety speed, sure that if had had been a normal human, he would have either suffered immediate unconsciousness or had his bones broken.

"Let the battle begin," he croaked out.

* * *

"Status?" asked Fuyutsuki.

"The rails are warped," said Sanada. "But they did their job. He's got good velocity."

"Activating the boosters now," said Rara, as the image of Unit 01 flared as the light from the booster engines appeared, giving the rising Unit a comet-like tail.

"The enemy's weapon has targeted and begun its assault on Unit 01!" yelled out Shigeru.

"The modified AT Field is holding steady!" yelled out Maya. "There is little change in the psycho-graph."

Ritsuko looked at the energy readings. "Misato, he'll be exposed to the weapon for at least ten seconds before impact."

Misato paled a bit. The damn thing had overwhelmed Asuka's mind in more than double that and rendered her out cold. Rei had been ordered to sleep, in hopes it would help her recover quicker. "How bad?"

"The effect at the range will be much stronger than what hit Asuka and Rei."

"We cannot do anything about that now," said Gendo, surprising all involved. "Unless we have a satellite that may provide some cover for him."

Makoto shook his head. "Nothing that could be there in time, or even provide sufficient cover."

"Then it is all up to Shinji now," said Gendo, surprising many of the assembled people, as he had referred to the Third Child by his given name.

* * *

Kaoru sat beside Mayumi, having brought the girl straight here after the Angel Alarm had sounded. He knew she was safe to have here, the Angel core within her too young to know what to even look for, or even know that it should be looking at all.

Even if it did, his presence kept it dormant, he was certain of that much, as Mayumi had said she always felt better when he was around.

_I wonder if she even knows._

He found himself drawn to the Avatar of the newborn Angel, almost as much for that fact as he was for her mind. She truly was a unique individual in his eyes, and seemed to genuinely care for him. Kaoru wanted to protect her, and perhaps save both her and the newborn Angel.

He himself had been made into a Child of the Grey Moon, proving an Angel could become such. He was even his own Avatar, ensuring a more powerful combination.

Could the same be done for her? When she ascended, would she and the Angel become one as a Child of the Grey Moon? Would they become two people, considering the fusion between them was unnatural, even by his own standards?

Would she die?

_I do not desire such an outcome. I wish for her to survive and continue existing._

He knew if he acted when the Call reached him, and if he somehow succeeded, then all would be wiped ... save for those already ascended.

And he was certain she would ascend before such a time would arise. He was certain his remaining sibling after this one would wait a while before approaching.

But how much time?

And if she died, would he even care when his time came?

"You think he'll make it?" asked Mayumi, looking at the closed circuit display showing Shinji's movement.

"He will," said Kaoru with absolute confidence. _Because Shinji-kun is not about to die when he has still our battle to face._

* * *

Shinji stared at the Angel as he approached the being of light, swords at the ready, as his AT Field surged to generate momentum towards the target, his eyes focused on any changes he would have to make.

If it didn't move when he made it, he would plow through with enough momentum to reenter the atmosphere.

Hopefully, his Mother could control their descent.

"Almost there," he muttered.

"**Son, the protection will fail in ten seconds."**

"Mother, take care if I pass out. Get us back to Earth safely."

"**I will, son. Be careful."**

Smiling, Shinji bathed once more in his mother's love ... before the Hell of the Angel's weapon hit him.

* * *

"_Mama, I made it Mama! I'm an EVA Pilot"_

"_Why would he desire an Old Hag like you?"_

"_Daddy, where's Mommy?"_

Shinji clutched his head as the assault tore through his own AT Field like wet paper, ripping into his mind as he screamed. Doors locked by the All Soul of the EVA Core opened wide, allowing the buried memories to flood through his mind once again.

Love.

Hatred.

Betrayal.

Hope.

Pain.

All emotions of all those involved in his former epiphany came racing back at once, forcing him to relive those hells once again in a time span of seconds.

To him, it might as well have been days, as the sheer volume overwhelmed his mind.

He gave one last cry in pain, before it went away.

* * *

In space, Unit 01 roared, a sound only able to be heard inside the giant unit as the AT Field kept the vacuum of space from killing it, as the twin swords struck the AT Field of the Angel, twisting and warping it around themselves; before they plunged into the Angel's core.

Unit 01 kicked off the energy remaining from the AT Field, sending it back towards the Earth as the Angel exploded, the shockwave further accelerating it.

One job was done.

Now getting back home was all that remained.

* * *

"Target is silent!" yelled Makoto.

"Status of Unit 01?" asked Fuyutsuki.

"Unknown," said Shigeru. "The EMP from the explosion is knocking out and sensor readings from the area.

"Okay," said Misato. "Continue to try and locate Unit 01. Have recovery teams get the EVA units back inside. Wake them up and see if they can do it."

* * *

Rei awoke to a blinding headache, as she tried to focus. _You can return us to the lifts. I am too tired._

"**Still weak, aren't you."**

"I did not see you reacting to having your mind assaulted," said Rei tiredly.

"**Whatever, little girl."**

* * *

"Units 00 and 02 are being lowered for decontamination," said Shigeru.

"Ma'am," said Makoto, "we've located Unit 01. It's in an uncontrolled fall into the middle of the Pacific!"

"Get the pilot on the channel!" yelled Misato.

* * *

"**Shinji?"**

Tired...

Sore...

Sleepy...

"**Shinji, wake up."**

"Mother..."

"**Shinji, you need to hang on and take control."**

"Take ... control?"

"**The explosion created some damage. I can't control our descent. You have to take control. I can only guide us back to Tokyo-3; you have to do most of the work keeping us airborne."**

"Have to ... have to maintain control ... have to stay awake."

"**Yes, my son; you must keep fighting. We can't rest at the moment. I know you can do it!"**

Slowly reaching out, he grabbed the control yokes, trying to focus his thoughts and will, trying to force the memories that had returned away from the forefront of his mind.

_Must ... take ... control!_

* * *

"Sir," said Makoto, "Unit 01 is starting to recover from freefall."

They watched the screen show the current radar information on Unit 01. Only the sounds of the machinery were heard as a real-time representation graph showed the current altitude of the EVA as all eight wings worked hard to correct the fall.

Soon, it looked almost as if it was too late, as the Unit seemed to pull up just enough to skim over the ocean surface as it steadily climbed.

"YES!" cried the control staff, as they cheered the mecha's performance of a near splashdown, only to not even fully graze the waves.

"Speed?" asked Rara.

"Fast!" said Shigeru. "I'm reading at least Mach Fifteen, maybe even higher!"

"Time till he reaches the coast?" asked Gendo.

"Less than ten minutes," said Maya, "assuming the air resistance begins to slow him down. If not, he might overshoot us, or be unable to land without being ripped apart by the impact!"

"Um," added Sanada, "how do we stop him when he gets here?"

* * *

"This is bad," muttered Ritsuko, as Shinji was finally able to be visually tracked with a functional satellite, as they came back online from the EMP of the Angel's death.

"His wings," muttered Shigeru, watching the overhead view.

The EVA was now less than three minutes from shore, another minute from Tokyo-3 airspace. It wobbled a bit, attempting to keep level, making them believe that Shinji must either be exhausted or injured.

The latter seemed more likely, as the EVA was missing chunks of its armor.

But what was an even worse sign of how badly it was just managing to hold on, was the fact that feathers were falling off.

And before their eyes, his former set of eight wings—having been reduced to six when they first had a visual lock on him—had now been reduced to four, and the arches of those wings faded from sight.

Things grew tense, as they had even been unable to make contact with Shinji.

"At the rate his wings are falling apart, he'll have at best one chance to land in Tokyo-3. After that ... I'm not certain what would happen to him at these speeds, even if he can maintain a partial AT Field."

Misato turned from Ritsuko. Looking at Rara, she nodded. "Are they there yet?"

He pointed to two dots that were quickly making their way to Unit 01, its speed now reduced to barely Mach 8. "Trident and Dante will intercept in thirty seconds. If he can grab onto them, they can stabilize his flight and land him safely."

"If not?" asked Fuyutsuki.

"Then Shinji will rip right through downtown Tokyo-3 like a meteorite," said Sanada, lighting a cigarette.

* * *

"Come on, Shinji," yelled Mana into her communications window, "please respond!"

But the window stayed filled with only static.

"Damn it," she growled.

"Don't worry, Mana," said Kensuke, "we can do this."

"I hope so," she prayed. "Dante, ready?"

"**Always, little sister,"** said the mecha.

"**I am ready as well, if anyone cared to ask,"** said Dante.

Kensuke just ignored the AI. "All you do is bitch and moan. It's like riding with Toji."

The two crafts approached the EVA on either side, gasping as they saw the second pair of wings begin to fall apart as well. "We better hurry," said Mana.

The two crafts began to maneuver, trying to "pinch" Unit 01 between them, their own defensive screens up to prevent Unit 01's AT Field from both dissipating as well as provide a "locking mechanism" to keep it between them.

"BREAK OFF!" yelled the reply over the radio, forcing the two Icarus-class units away from their maneuver.

"What the hell!" yelled Kensuke.

"HQ we almost had him. Explain!" yelled Mana.

Ritsuko's face appeared on the display. "He's close enough for us to receive systems data. The AT Field is fluctuating too wildly, as if the will to keep it going it unstable. Your maneuver would collapse it."

"FUCK!" screamed Mana, looking as Unit 01 continued to lose feathers. "What do we do?" she pleaded.

Kensuke looked, trying to figure something out. _This is my chance at redemption for getting my ass kicked against the Thirteenth. Come on, genius; think!_

And then it hit him, as he threw the engines into full drive.

"Kensuke, where the hell are you going?" yelled Mana.

"I got me a plan!" he yelled.

"What?" screamed Mana, catching up to him.

"Mana, we're about to play the catch with the biggest version of American football there is!"

Her eyes went wide. "You want to catch him as he hits land!"

"Nope, he'll still be too high in the air. We need him at ground level, and that is at the outskirts of Tokyo-3!"

* * *

"This is insane!" yelled Misato. "Can they really catch him at those speeds?"

"He will be going close to Mach 1," said Sanada, lighting another cigarette. "But it is possible."

"And with the other EVAs damaged or their pilots out of commission at the moment, we can't use them."

"But they're sentient," said Rara.

"They still need the pilots inside and somewhat healthy," said Ritsuko. "We don't have the time to reset the entry plugs for Toji and Kaoru."

"You guys need to have faith," said Sanada. "When have they ever failed before?"

"I know that," said Misato. "But we're trusting Kensuke."

"The channel's still open, you know," said Kensuke over the communications line.

The doubters were thoroughly embarrassed enough to remain quiet with any further objections.

* * *

"Here he comes," said Mana, as both Icarus types were now in humanoid form, crotched, and braced, waiting for the rushing missile known as Unit 01.

"We've got one shot," said Kensuke, "and just so you know, this is really going to hurt like hell."

"**I vote for a new plan,"** said Dante.

"Why?"

"**This one is something you came up with, therefore it will no doubt be painful for me while you claim full credit."**

"**You just don't like it because he came up with it,"** said Trident.

"**True."**

"HEY!"

"Focus you three," growled Mana.

Soon, a purple dot could be seen.

"Let's do this," growled Kensuke, as he leaned into the oncoming assault.

Both pilots began to scream as they psyched themselves up, but the sound ended quickly as Unit 01 slammed into them doing a good portion of Mach speed.

As the momentum hit them, their units slid back along the street, buildings still standing from the emergency and not withdrawn into the Geo-front shook from the physical strike of the boom, windows shattering. The pavement gave way, breaking apart as they were pushed back. The two pilots grunted as they tried to maintain their positions. If they gave any ground, they might be knocked over by the momentum, or even be ripped through.

Kensuke was growling, even as he could hear the whining of the metal of his Jet Alone, even as displays lit up with systems that were starting to fail.

In his mind, he could still see the Angel coming at him, still see Shinji fighting it, fighting the next one, fighting even the Fourth, where he had damn near wet himself.

And then came a memory unbidden, when Kensuke had been selected as the new pilot in the Jet Alone program.

"_Shinji, why do you pilot anyway?"_

_Shinji chuckled. "Simple. I pilot to protect everyone."_

"_You enjoy the hero-worship?" Kensuke asked, chuckling._

"_A hero is just someone who does the right thing at the right time, and is seen by the right people. "I do all of this, because I want to, because there are people who can't fight the Angels, and who need people like me to fight for them._

"_Don't try and be a hero, Kensuke, if that's why you're doing this. If so, get out now. Do this because you want to protect something. That is the smallest reason to do this."_

Kensuke growled harder. _I protect my family, my friends. THAT IS WHAT I PROTECT!_

With a final push, they slowed down even more, before the two units toppled.

* * *

"What is the current status?" asked Gendo, staring at the feed from the field.

"A large area was rendered damaged by the saving of Unit 01," said Kozo, looking at the reports.

"Just more damage we can have repaired," said Gendo. "That used to be Rei's old neighborhood, if I recall."

"Yes," said Kozo, "so there won't be too many people put out because of it."

"The neighborhood needed restoration anyway. This just gives the publicity department a new PR campaign. Anything else?"

"Some damage to the Units, several power subsystems will need to be replaced in the Icaruses, as well as inside Unit 01. But ..."

"But?"

"But something else occurred to Shinji."

The scene on the viewing monitor changed to Shinji being pulled from his entry plug.

"I see," said Gendo. "The Grey shall be torn between the Black Moon and the White Moon. I do look forward to seeing how my son will handle this."

Kozo said nothing about what Gendo spoke, as he too witnessed Shinji again, being removed from the plug.

The wings on his left side were pure white, while the wings on his right side were pure black.

And neither man truly knowing what, if anything, this meant for the future of their world.


	22. Stretching Shadows

**Chapter 22**

**Stretching Shadows**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

Asuka and Rei sat inside the medical room, where they had been for three days undergoing observation and analysis. It had been only a few days since they had been exposed to the mental attack of the Fifteenth Angel; Arael. And in that time, they had hardly spoken except to answer the questions posed. 

But they stayed in that room in silence, staring off into space, as if their minds were always distracted.

"What did it show you?" asked Asuka in a quiet tone. She was seriously beginning to hate the silence, and would do anything at this point to end it.

Even if that meant she had to talk with 'Wondergirl'.

"My fears," came the simple reply. Rei sat up in her bed once more, grabbing her legs and hugging herself in a fetal-like position.

"What fears?"

"The fears I harbor."

"That doesn't explain them."

"Then tell me what it showed you first?"

Asuka sighed. "They were the same stupid memories of when I thought my mother killed herself. It played them over and over like a fucking broken record."

She looked towards the window, her sight just slightly off that of Rei. "It's a stupid feeling; to see those memories again and feel myself reliving the pain. I know it wasn't her, I know she's still alive, and I know she never meant to hurt me. But ... they were so fresh, like I was going through the motions all over again."

Rei nodded. "I believe it was trying to understand us in some small way."

"And what could the point of such a stupid weapon be?" growled out Asuka.

"Demoralize the enemy; make their will to fight zero, and thus remove resistance to its future actions to acquire Adam."

"That thing had no way to get to Adam without coming down," she said. "How the hell could it have won?"

"I do not know; I am unaware of all the capabilities this Angel may have possessed to conclude such an endeavor. At this point, I can only surmise at to what its intentions may have been."

Asuka nodded. "What did it show you?"

Rei stared off. "It was mostly my fears of recent times; the loss of Shinji-kun, my fear of forever losing him. I was shown memories of my failures to protect him. The most prevalent one was of our final battle with the Fifth Angel; Ramiel."

"What happened?" asked Asuka, curious. Despite her budding friendship with him, she had not seen fit to looking at past Angel fights.

"The first time he engaged the Angel, it attacked as soon as he reached the surface. It was the first instance of his wings appearing outside of Eva. The particle beam did not strike him directly, but it caused him to use up much of his energy.

"The second time occurred when we were on the mountain site for a sniping mission. The first shot was deflected by the Angel's own attack. With a quicker recharge time, the Angel was able to attack sooner, and was melting through the shield I was given. Shinji reactivated his wings to protect me, before he fired and killed the Angel. The resulting drained stopped his heart."

Asuka could see the pale girl crying at the memories, showing how fresh the mental wounds were still. "He ... died?"

Rei nodded, using the bed sheets to wipe her tears away. "Even though I am replaceable, even though my mission was to protect him; he still risked his own termination to ensure I continued to exist."

"Then the memories..."

"They reminded me of my failures to him," Rei answered quietly.

There had been one more memory; that of her death as Rei I. But that was a memory she would not share with them.

"You think they will let us out today to see him?" asked Asuka. They had been told of what Shinji had done when they each woke up, and that he was recovered safely.

But they had been banned from seeing him, until they were feeling better.

Before Rei could answer, the door opened, revealing the red hair of the final rival for Shinji's heart.

"Mana?" asked Asuka.

The girl nodded, motioning both for them to be quiet and for them to follow her.

Asuka quickly followed as did Rei.

The time for isolation was officially over.

* * *

"Where are we going?" asked Asuka quietly, following behind Mana with Rei, as they quietly made their way towards somewhere. 

"We're looking to find Shinji," whispered Mana, as she checked around the corner. "Trident was only able to get the MAGI to tell him that Shinji was in this wing, but not his condition or his location within the wing."

"Wow," muttered Asuka. "Looks like the MAGI aren't as secure as they say."

"It is more likely the MAGI's own affections for Shinji-kun were the deciding factor in their actions to help Trident," said Rei.

The other two girls stopped. "Excuse me?" they asked, surprised.

Rei cocked her head to the side. "I was informed that the emotional attachments of the MAGI to Shinji; was told to you."

Asuka and Mana looked at each other, before shaking their heads. _Great, even AIs are after him._

"And it just goes to prove how valuable a person Shinji-kun really is."

The two redheads paled a bit, as they turned to face the voice.

"K-K-Kaji-kun," gasped out Asuka. While her severe infatuation with the older man had taken a nosedive after both time spent with Shinji and Misato's own returning affections for the man, she still respected him.

She also knew he could very well demand they return for observation and end their outing to find Shinji.

Sighing, the man looked at them. "Could you two at least have gotten dressed in something other than hospital gowns before you started your trek?"

Rei merely replied in a calm voice, not worried at all about their discovery. "We were not provided with any other than the gowns we now have on."

Shaking his head, he pointed to a closet off to their side. "Go in there. They have some hospital scrubs you guys might be able to wear. And I'm sure that is better than flashing your asses to everyone behind you."

"Eep!" squeaked Asuka, as she darted for the door, followed slowly by Rei.

* * *

"No offense, Mr. Kaji," said Mana, as she followed him, "but why are you helping us?" 

He stopped for a minute, tempted to light a cigarette to ease his mental pain at what he was doing, before he turned to face them. "Rei, Asuka; you guys had it light compared to what that thing did to Shinji. He was exposed to that beam for less time than you were, but the intensity went up the closer you got to it."

"How bad?" asked Rei, feeling the dread of failing to protect Shinji once again enter her heart.

Kaji just turned and resumed his course. "Just don't expect him to make sense right now. He seems to be lost in his own world."

The others slowly continued, not liking the mental imagery they conjured up with what Kaji had said.

But they would not stop, until they found him.

They could do no less for their friend.

* * *

The group could only stare as they watched their friend pace around the large room, his hair a mess, his eyes wide and showing lack of sleep, his dual colored wings twitching, as if he couldn't decide what to do with them. 

They couldn't hear him, but it was obvious he was ranting about something, his arms constantly moving in a gesture. His face seemed to zip from one emotion to another, as if any one thought wasn't able to hold his attention.

"He's been like that every time we let him wake up," said Kaji, choosing that moment to light a cigarette to calm his nerves. "Most of the time, they put some gas in there to force him to sleep, but he wakes up within a few hours."

"What does he talk about?" asked Mana.

"Listen for yourself," said Kaji, as he flipped on the speakers.

"_**That Old Hag should no better, trying to choke me like that. But then she had to go hang herself, and those old bastards kept calling me a big girl, that I had to be brave. **_

"**_Well fuck them! They didn't have to watch her slowly die as the disease ate her! They didn't have to watch as little sis sat in that hospital bed, sad about never walking again!"_**

Mana flipped it off. "It ... it's not possible!"

Kaji looked around. "What's not possible?"

Rei simply looked forward, a tear tracing down her cheek, before she turned to Kaji. "He is suffering our worst fears and memories."

Kaji blinked, before he turned on the speakers again.

"**_Damn you Father! Why did you do that! Why couldn't you save both you and me? Why did you have to be a good father in the end?_**

"_**Just like that hussy! I tell her I love her, and then she fucking has to lie and say she's seeing someone else! She's no better than that asshole. Just because he was fucking my mother, he thought I would put out just as much!"**_

Kaji turned it off, hearing enough.

Mana started to cry. "But ... how? Why?"

"I do not know," said Rei, staring at the still ranting form of Shinji. "But we will not stop until we find out."

* * *

The man growled as his source of power stood null, no outward signs of what he wanted to find. 

"Of all the damn times," he growled. Slapping the tattoo, he wanted to yell at the injustice of it all. But he was still near people, and they might want to know what would make a man scream out for direction.

He looked at the double helix tattoo that circled his left wrist. There were still three open spaces left. He still needed to slay the Lilim Avatars of the First, Second, and Seventeenth Angels. With them, his power would be complete, and all that would remain would be for him to merge with his other half.

But the tattoo that told him where these souls were showed nothing. "I need more power, I need more abilities."

Taking a deep breath, he looked towards a blank brick wall, which was also in the direction of Japan and Tokyo-3. "It looks like my time has run out; especially if I want the prize."

Smirking, he stepped towards the wall, as a circular shadow grew from it, allowing him to seem to walk into darkness, before the shadow faded away.

He had a mission to complete, and it would be bad form not to do so.

* * *

"Anything?" asked Misato. 

Ritsuko shook her head, removing her glasses. "I can't tell one thing from the other. If what the Children said was true, then I have no idea how Shinji was tapped into all of our worst moments."

"This is bad," said Sanada. "He's being tortured by our own sins, and we can't do anything about it."

Rara nodded. "Poor kid."

"There has to be something we can do, ma'am," said a hopeful Maya.

Ritsuko sighed. "I wish we could, but we have no idea even how this Angel's attack worked, let alone if it can be fixed with something other than rest, relaxation, and therapy longer than from here out to Neo-Berlin."

"He's not even sleeping," said Shigeru. "Last time we used the gas, he got maybe two hours of sleep before he woke back up. The nightmares must be killing him inside."

"Ma'am," started Maya, "what are the Commander and Sub Commander doing about this?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "About what they usually do.

"Nothing."

* * *

Two men sat on a helicopter as they returned from a northern testing facility. 

"This may injure your scenario, Ikari," said Fuyutsuki, looking onto the countryside.

"My son will survive," said Gendo with absolute certainty in his voice.

"And if he doesn't survive past this next encounter?" asked Fuyutsuki. "He can barely mention his own name at the moment, and we have no clue how to merge the Black and White into the Grey."

"There are moments we must have faith," said Gendo. "If he was dangerous to the point of threatening all life, Yui would have terminated him inside the plug. Better to die sick by a mother's hand than die healthy by an enemy's hand."

Fuyutsuki shook his head. "You assume Yui is the type of mother who would subscribe to such a way of thinking."

Gendo nodded. "If he died in the plug, his soul would join hers inside the core. If he died outside it by our own hands, then the soul would pass into the All-Soul, and be forever beyond her reach. In the end, her desire to have him with her would have overridden her desire to see him stay alive; if such a scenario was true."

"I hope you are right, Ikari; or all of us will pay for this."

"You must have faith, Sensei. I always do."

* * *

Shinji sat against the wall, head listing to the side, as his mind continued to try and understand what was occurring to him. 

It grew more and more difficult to maintain his own identity in the sea of misery and pain. The currents ebbed and flowed like a constantly shifting tide, no one persona or ideal maintaining control for a few seconds. But it was always enough to add fuel to the storm he was enduring.

He knew what they were, could see through eyes as if he was the only one experiencing them, but that did little as each experience slowly chipped away at the wall holding them back from crushing his own identity.

A lone tear made its way down his face, as the struggle returned, as the storm surged once again.

There was no happiness to those memories; no joy, no elation, no reason to think fondly over the events they covered.

It was pain in all its pure and untainted glory.

And it was killing his soul.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," growled out Fuyutsuki. 

"I'm afraid not sir," said Misato, looking over her own copies of the provided data.

"It's only sheer luck we even have this," said Ritsuko. "If the MAGI hadn't been looking for other signs of the Angels aside from Blue Patterns, we'd never have caught this."

Sanada shook his head. "To think that people actually had the Angels tattooed on themselves before they arrived."

Misato nodded. "These were all done post Second Impact, with the last one about a year old."

"But why?" asked Rara. "It makes no sense."

"I believe I may have the answer."

The table turned to see Kaoru standing there.

"Pilot Nagisa, this is not a meeting open to pilots," said Fuyutsuki.

"Let's hear the boy out," said Kaji. "What do you got, kid?"

Kaoru nodded, before gesturing to the photos of the tattoos strewn about the table. "I believe that the tattoos themselves may be signs that the humans were chosen as Avatars."

"Avatars?" asked Maya.

Kaoru nodded. "Despite Second Impact; Adam does not hold this world. As such, his children would find the environment inhospitable, and would be unable to function."

"But we've had two in space," said Rara.

"But they were within Earth's electromagnetic field," said Ritsuko. "If the Earth is marked as Lilith's domain, then the magnetic fields would have the same resonance."

Kaoru nodded. "As such, they would need an anchor-point, as it were, for them to have access to the world of the lilim."

"Then were these people traitors?" asked Shigeru.

Kaoru shook his head. "While Adam cannot claim dominion on this world, he can influence the field a bit from his own interface that he made in Antarctica. As such, he would be able to either make them choose a tattoo that could act as an anchor, or get the design idea."

"Exactly how do you know this?" asked a suspicious Misato.

"Shinji-kun and I have discussed such ideas."

"Oh my God," gasped Misato. She looked towards Kaoru. "An Avatar or an Angel is killing them, isn't it?"

The others looked confused, while Kaoru shrugged. "I am afraid I do not have those answers."

"Misato?"

She turned to Ritsuko. "He said 'the shadows of the fallen shall strike back' for the Sixteenth Angel. These anchors could be seen as the shadows of the fallen Angels."

The others turned back to the scattered photos. "This is not good," said Makoto. "If this Angel or Avatar is trying to gather power..."

"Then we are about to have the biggest fight of our lives," said Fuyutsuki.

Kaoru walked away as they began to discuss possible weak points in an Angel with the abilities of all those they have encountered. It wasn't that he was bored, as much as he was concerned of other matters.

His main concern at the moment was Mayumi. She was quickly approaching the point of ascension, and was not showing any signs of rejection of the process. The Angel core within her was stable ... in fact, more stable than it had been.

Mayumi was like a flawed attempt to recreate himself; combining an Avatar and an Angel, one who could survive in both worlds.

But the souls were not one and the same. Even he himself did not possess a core, merely an S2 engine where his appendix would have been.

But she did possess a core, which was slowly killing her. While his own design made him thrive, hers was corrupting her like a slow poison.

At least it had been.

Grey...

Kaoru stopped in the hallway, withdrawing a picture that Mayumi had taken on their last date, in a photo booth. He could not stop himself as his finger touched the photo, tracing her outline along it.

"Is this what they mean by a 'love beyond all others'? Is this ... love?"

He paused at that. He surely hoped she would ascend before he heard The Call, hoped she would survive the meeting that he would have to have against Shinji himself. No matter what, he found he desired that Mayumi survive, and that her survival was meaning more and more to him as time progressed.

Two souls, kindred in nature.

Those were things that he worried about, not some Avatar that might appear and try to slay him. He was safe, as he was Angel and Avatar in one; there was no anchor for him to be traced by. Rei herself was Lilith's own Avatar. But as such, her anchor would not shine as the others did; hers was meant to survive within Adam, within Eva.

He paused for a second. Where was the Avatar of Adam himself? In this war, it had been all too clear of what Lilith's feelings towards the new Seed were.

But Adam had stayed silent, stayed hidden. Even if he was regressed to an embryonic state, the Avatar should still be around, still be sensed, his anchor glowing brighter than all others.

Yet ... nothing; no sign that the Avatar even existed.

Was it hidden, or was there no Avatar at all for Adam? But if Lilith had one, should not Adam have one as well.

Kaoru sighed, as he continued on. It appeared time was growing short for all of them.

* * *

Rei stood in the room, looking at the red tanks all around her.

This was her place of birth, her home. This was where she had been born once, and would be born so again should she be killed.

It was why she was expendable.

And it was also her best chance.

She observed them, floating about inside the LCL, smiling as if the world was all a game. She could hear their idle laughter, knowing it was not directed at anything or anyone. It just ... was.

She placed her hand against the glass, looking at them sadly. They were ... empty, only having the bare minimum of soul-energy necessary to maintain themselves, assisted by a special AT Field that surrounded the pool, keeping them from simply falling apart.

It was also torture in a way. Until they received a soul of their own, they would be stuck in a limbo between life and death, existence or the abyss.

And now, they were her best hope.

She looked at them, sadly. Until she died, the best they could hope for was to be used in a Dummy Plug system. But of course, that measure was long gone, the new technologies changing the Dummy Plug component from a soulless body to a soulless box.

Now, they were merely being kept as spares for her.

"This must be done, to save Shinji-kun."

"Shinji-kun," came the multiple replies of the clones.

Rei nodded. It made sense, she supposed. Each clone was equipped with her memories up to her last test. Each one would have memories of Shinji, of her desire to protect him with her all. And that included a sacrifice that she would never be able to return from.

The clones each floated towards the glass container, placing their hands against it, mirroring Rei's own image.

Even if they didn't know the reason, or even understand the facts, they still understood the need.

They were Rei, and they would protect and save Shinji.

* * *

He stepped out from the Sea of Dirac, looking around the hillside, as he observed his target. "So, this is Tokyo-3.

"What a dump," he smiled. "I'd be doing the world a favor by raising this place."

He looked upwards as he sensed his other arriving, as the air shimmered, before a loud hum could be heard.

Slowly, as if reality itself was breaking, a circle of light began to form above him, rapidly spinning, resembling a giant double helix.

"So; my other has arrived," he smiled, holding his arms up towards the creature. "Then let us now become one, let us become complete, let us fully become Armisael!"

* * *

"This is bad," said Misato.

"Its pattern keeps changing from Blue to Orange," said Shigeru.

"The target's AT Field is still inactive," said Makoto.

Maya looked at the data. "I don't think it has a set shape."

Misato sighed, before looking around. "Where's Ritsuko?"

* * *

Ritsuko stood beside the medical transfer bed, looking at the sleeping form of Shinji. They had used a lot of gas to subdue him, and its effects would likely end here within a few more minutes. She didn't want to do this to him. He had become a little brother to her, helping her live.

Now she was about to do something that could very well end with him being killed. "I wish there was another way."

"There isn't," said Rei, standing on the other side of the bed, as the elevator continued to lower them to their destination: the Dummy Plug Room.

"Will this work?" she asked.

Rei could only stare straight ahead. "I am uncertain. I only know that this is our best chance to restore Shinji-kun."

Ritsuko nodded. "God forgive us if we are wrong."

"There will be no time for forgiveness," said Rei. "If we fail, Shinji-kun will become uncontrollable, and may seek to terminate you."

"Not you?" asked Ritsuko.

"I will be with him inside the tank. If we fail, my life will be ended before I understand the situation. You will be the first around that he will attack next."

"And what makes you think this will work?"

"Faith that Shinji can do this with the help I am about to provide."

Ritsuko nodded. "You do realize that if this works, the clones will all fail; you will be the last Rei unless we can generate a new batch with your current DNA profile."

"I do not mind," said Rei. "I wish ... for there to be an end if it must be."

"You want mortality?"

Rei nodded. "I wish to be human."

Ritsuko nodded again. She could understand the girl better, her former hatred of the pale girl long since gone with the feelings for the abusive Commander. For the duration of that sordid affair, she had always seen the little girl as the main obstacle; as if her disappearance would grant her the man she had desired.

She had been such an idiot.

But she was better now. She had her mother back ... in a way. She had friends, a purpose.

She could look herself in the mirror now, and not flinch back in disgust.

And now, she was perhaps sacrificing the child who had made it all possible.

"They say that sometimes, the cure can be just as bad, if not worse, than the disease," she said, wishing she had a cigarette.

* * *

"Status?" yelled Misato.

"We've detected a second signature directly below the target!" yelled Shigeru.

"We may need to test the defenses," said Sanada. "Jet Alone Units 00 through 02 are ready to fire on your mark."

"The Icarus units are ready to launch," said Rara.

"We have Units 02, 03, and 04 ready for launch," said Makoto.

Misato looked at the screen, as a small figure could be seen floating in the middle of the helix ring. "I take it we now know who our killer was?"

"Yes ma'am," said Shigeru. "MAGI have identified him as a Lieutenant Paul Swiger; British Military."

Misato growled. "I think you can add 'God Complex' to his record."

"They'd be surprised," said Kaji. "It says he was reported missing and presumed dead four months ago."

"Ma'am!" cried Maya, as the image changed.

Misato wasted no time. "HIT IT WITH EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT!"

She only prayed she wasn't too late.

* * *

Paul felt the energy arch off his partner, as it tried to understand what was occurring, tried to reject what its form was being forced to do.

But Paul's will and power were stronger. The energy and powers of the Avatars and the anchors they held were now his to command. Without them, an Avatar could never overwhelm the Angel he was linked to.

With them, the Angel couldn't deny him.

He smiled, remembering the fire aboard his ship, the fire that should have killed him.

The death that was stopped by the glowing helix tattoo on his wrist. After all, what good was a dead anchor to an Angel. It had used its powers to save him.

And now, after diving into the link, after seeing the Angel he was connected to and its purpose, the power of the All-Soul; he was going to be one with it ... mind, body, and soul.

He smiled as the AT Field of the Angel was thrown up, as fire from the city's defenders lanced out to end his own ascension before it began. "Let the lowly worms try and stop me.

"They cannot stop the will of God."

* * *

"The AT Field is not being penetrated!" growled out Shigeru.

"Main energy cannons are set to maximum yield, and we're not even draining the field!" yelled Sanada.

"Shit!" screamed Maya. "The Angel is being absorbed! The man is pulling it inside... My God, he has an AT field!"

Fuyutsuki gasped. "What the hell is he?"

Gendo remained emotionless. "He is the container of shadows.

"Launch the Evas now!"

* * *

The tube closed, as LCL began to fill it up. Rei was holding Shinji, both nude, as Ritsuko prepared to open the chamber and allow them to enter the pool.

"My daughter," gasped Shinji, the drugs effects beginning to fade.

Ritsuko slowly turned to him, her finger hovering over the button.

"Can you ever forgive your foolish old mother; can you ever forgive me for being weak enough to let that cold bastard into our lives, my life?"

She knew who he was thinking he was, whose sins he was currently expressing. "I forgave you a long time ago ... Mother."

A small smile developed on Shinji's lips.

And Ritsuko pushed the button, uttering a prayer that one day, she could tell her own mother those words ... to her face.

* * *

Rei swam with Shinji to the center of the tank, the other Reis focused on them, as if they were the sole attractions to them.

In a way they were. Both were literally pouring out soul energy. If it had been anyone else, the clones would have besieged them, trying to tear out a soul from them and have one of their very own. In a way, they were like the Evangelions in that regard. They just wanted what everyone else had.

They just wanted life.

But the two before them were immune to such activities. There was only one thought pervading their minds now.

Saving Shinji.

They began swimming around him, skimming through the energies he was leaking outwardly, creating a shimmering effect within the LCL.

To Ritsuko, it had a deadly beauty to it. She could see them, swimming about with more energy than she would have thought possible. As the glowing waves of light began to surround the pair, making it look as if a sphere of power was forming in the LCL, the Rei clones continued to circle it like a school of sharks, looking for points to attack.

It was beautiful in its own right, a sight beyond words to describe.

But it was also a dance of death, as the clones that swam into the glowing sphere came out looking sick and injured.

Her hand came up to her face, wiping away a liquid. "I ... I'm crying ... I'm crying ... for them."

There had been many things within her life now that had disgusted her, further reminders of how far she had fallen and would have continued to fall had things not gone as they had.

But here she was, crying ... at the dying sacrifices of the empty shells, of entities that had nothing to call their own, not even a soul.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, as she collapsed to her knees, her hands against the tank. Her mind was nearly wrecked with one thought.

Who was more human: them or her?

* * *

Paul could feel the power flowing through him, a maniacal cackle emitting itself from his throat, as the Angel was pulled into him. The circle had separated, trying to rip free from the anchor that was dragging it down.

But it was of no avail, as it began to slowly drain into him, circling him still like gases around a black hole.

He could still sense the impacts of the assaults on the AT Field he had emitted, ensuring that both that the Angel couldn't leave and that they couldn't get in; a parting present from the anchor for the Fourteenth Angel.

He smiled as all he wanted slowly came to be, and as he witnessed the Evas rising up from the ground, the Icarus Jet Alones shooting up from the ground. "Let them try and stop my birth; for when it is complete, they shall fall."

* * *

The bottom of the tank was littered with the dissolving remains of the clones who had done all that they could do, as those that remained looked ready to drop into the bottom as well.

Rei continued to hold him, as the clones continued the dance. She could feel their pain, their sorrow, and their screams as they burned out, trying to save Shinji.

For brief moments, her mind flashed to a dark forest, a scene of a nude Shinji being surrounded by the clones.

What was it? Was it a memory only they had, a sign that they had been able to reach out and touch his own AT Field outside of these walls, these protections?

_They are real in a sense. They care for Shinji-kun, but it is their own feelings that make them unique. They are of one mind to save him, because they are of one heart to love him, and they do so by their own choice._

_That makes them real. That is what gave them life. That is what defined them._

_Even without a soul, they still loved and dreamed of him._

_They were human._

Soon, the last clone fell, a fleeting smile on its lips, the same that had been on the lips of all the others as they finished all that they could, as they died knowing what they had done.

They died fulfilled.

Slowly, the layer of light grew smaller, the forces no longer fighting for control.

And all she could do was listen.

Until she heard ... she heard him ... crying. "Shinji?"

"I could feel them, Rei," he said, his voice choking due to his emotions. "I could hear their pains as well. But at the end ... I could feel their joy. I could feel their joy, even as they were dying, even as their bodies gave out.

"Why were they happy, Rei? Why did they do this for me?"

She could only continue to hold him, leaning her head against his shoulder, as she replied. "They loved you. Though they had no souls, they had memories, my memories. They chose on their own to love you as I do. They chose to die saving you, restoring you."

"Rei ... Rei what did they do?"

"It does not matter, Shinji-kun. Does knowing what they did diminish their sacrifice for you?"

"No ... no it doesn't." He looked down at the corpses on the floor of the tank. "But I need to know."

"They removed the strings of your soul that were the pains of others. They were ... copies ... of the pains and sorrows of others. I do not know why or how they came to be within you; only that your encounter with the Fifteenth Angel seemed to excite them, make them struggle for control.

"Within those strings, no positive emotions could be felt. They literally cocooned you within a shell of the darkest moments of the lives of others, blurring and combining into a prison you couldn't escape from."

"They pulled me out?"

"They undid the threads, even knowing that for them ... it would be their end.

"They did so, because they loved you."

"I didn't deserve such a sacrifice, Rei."

"You told me often people do for others, not because they feel they deserve it, but because they feel they need it. That was their wish, Shinji-kun."

"Rei?"

"Yes, Shinji-kun?"

"I need to kill something now, preferably something belonging to Adam."

* * *

"AHHH!" screamed Asuka, as Unit 02 slammed into the ground, before she quickly back flipped, narrowly avoiding the blast of the Angel/Avatar creation.

"Man; how the fuck do we kill it?" screamed Toji.

Even combined, Paul/Armisael combination had only grown a little bit; though his power was beyond measure.

The Evangelions and Jet Alones were tall creations, larger than most buildings.

Against the Angels of the past, they were the perfect weapons.

Against something the size of a human, they were amazingly inadequate.

Trident crashed into a street, one shot striking its propulsion, damaging the transformation circuits, and preventing the large machine from taking humanoid form to ease the crash.

Paul/Armisael smiled, as he gathered energy into his hand again. "Those that stand against a God ... shall be smote."

His smile was cut short, as a foot to his chin caught him unaware, sending him rocketing into the sly.

The hybrid grimaced in pain, looking below himself to see who had dared to hit him, before his pain was doubled, as a strong blow came on his spine, sending him back into the damaged concrete below.

"You know, for some sort of God, you really can't fight worth shit."

Paul/Armisael slowly stood up, his injuries already healing, as he cast his eyes to the voice.

And before him, with eight wings of black and white, smiled a boy with blue eyes.

"Ah, so the vaunted Third Child has made an appearance. I will have fun facing you."

"And I'll enjoy just straight up killing you," said Shinji, drawing his sword. "For all the power you possess, you ain't got much to show for it."

Paul/Armisael chuckled. "Trust me you little puke, I have more than enough to prove to you who the better being is."

* * *

"Get them back in here now!" yelled Misato. The last thing she wanted was that thing to try and use the damaged Evas and JAs as bargaining chips, or worse, hostages. "As soon as they are in the shafts, I want those shields up!"

Shigeru turned to her. "Ma'am, if we activate the outer shield, that thing will be trapped with us!"

"Exactly," said Misato. "I don't want that bastard to escape. I want ever bit of power we got to keep him and Shinji on the surface. The less chances we give that asshole to distract Shinji, the better."

The others nodded, as they made their preparations.

But few held out any hope that if the creature really wanted to, those fields wouldn't do much good.

* * *

The two powerhouses squared off, sword versus energy whips, courtesy of the Fourth Angel.

Paul/Armisael did have most of the advantages. The powers given to him by the anchors of the other Angels were not as strong as those of an Angel, but they weren't weak either. Drawing on those, he had a weapon and an attack for almost every situation.

But despite the strength and abilities of the former British Naval Officer, Shinji had the best advantage of them all; he had actually fought within the air. Shinji knew how to get the most out of available air currents, how to brace himself when he launched an attack from midair.

Paul/Armisael only enjoyed the fact his attacks had hit, enjoying the pure rush he received when he did so. He wasn't concerned with accuracy or timely maneuvers. He had only faced the Evangelions and the Jet Alones, none of which could be as quick or as accurate as needed to stop him.

So in a battle of David versus Goliath, Shinji fought as well as he received. He wasn't trying to kill him at the moment. No, he made minor attacks, enough to keep the man trying to kill the insect. If he had the powers of all the Angels, Shinji didn't want to take a chance that he had the evolution abilities of the Eleventh Angel.

"Is this the best you can offer?" yelled Paul/Armisael. "You cannot harm me!"

"I wasn't trying to harm you, asshole," said Shinji, floating before the creature. "In case you were too preoccupied by your own self ego-indulgence, you'll notice it is just us now."

Paul/Armisael looked around the landscape, not seeing any of the machines the lilim had used against him. _Lilim? Where did that come from?_

Shinji saw the momentary confusion appear on the man's face. _He doesn't know what he's done. Even if he has a drive for power, the Angels only have one drive, and that is to find Adam._ "I wanted to make certain that you didn't try and get a hostage when I gave you a beat-down."

"You cannot stand against my rise to Godhood! Adam will be mine!" the man screamed, before he grasped his head.

Shinji smirked. "You forgot one little part of your plan, Einstein. You were so focused on attaining power and control; you forgot how the Angel's desires would influence you."

"I AM IN CONTROL!" he screamed.

"No; you're not," said Shinji. "You can't decide now between your own ambitions and those of the Angel. Who are you; Paul or Armisael?"

The man made a move to answer, but stopped, unable to speak one single thought, as both names kept coming to mind.

Shinji kept his sword at the ready. As things stood, he knew he'd have to kill this creature quickly and on the first strike. If not, it would evolve and grow stronger, until its evolution was more than he could handle.

"It ... it doesn't matter who I am," smiled the creature, his face tilting towards Shinji. "I am of one mind on the issue that you ... need ... to die!" With that, the creature darted quickly at Shinji, as the whips were reduced by one, while the other hand began to lance out with energy.

Shinji dodged and blocked what he could, trying to be above the man whenever he fired.

Paul/Armisael's attacks began to grow wilder and more powerful, as the dueling minds began to give way to a madness that was neither the desires of the human nor the Angel the human had absorbed.

"What's the matter?" asked Shinji. "Can't you make up your mind already? Are you a servant of Adam or a servant of your own little dreams?"

The man growled, before he gave a monstrous yell, and charged.

* * *

"What the hell is he doing?" yelled Misato, watching as Shinji continued to enrage the beast.

"He is attempting to make the enemy easy to understand."

The bridge turned to see Rei and Ritsuko arriving through the door.

"Where the fuck have you been, Wondergirl?" yelled Asuka, her arm in a sling from her own injuries from the initial battle. She was with the other pilots, having raced to the Command Bridge when they were finished being retrieved.

"The target is currently a normal human who has forced a merger with an Angel," said Rei, recalling what she had been told on her way to the bridge when she and Shinji were removed from the tanks. "However, the merger was not perfect, despite the beliefs of the human called Paul. He assumed the power he gathered would have allowed him to be dominant within the new form."

"Are you saying that the Angel is still alive?" asked Fuyutsuki.

"In a sense," said Ritsuko. "Both have completely different goals and philosophies of existence. As such, both are fighting for general control."

"Then Shinji-kun is attempting to make the cross interference bad enough so that the functional ability is minimal," said Kaoru.

Rei nodded. "At the moment, the mind of the creature is like Eva and pilot; it works best when the goals and motives are similar. Otherwise, the conflicting desires of the two will lower power and effectiveness."

"Let's hope it works," said Toji. "Otherwise we'll have to go fight it, and I know I ain't gonna be able to stand against him."

"Coward," muttered Asuka as she turned back to the screen, not showing her own fear at facing such a creature again.

* * *

Shinji let loose several Spirit Cuts, saddened to see that whatever he removed from the creature (arm, leg, head, etc...) grew right back within moments. The only good news was that as Paul/Armisael's mind became more chaotic, his more powerful abilities stopped appearing. He didn't have the mental focus to split as the Seventh Angel had done, but that was more likely due to fear that such a move would separate him from the Angel. He also no longer seemed to disappear and reappear from a shadow, an ability stolen from the Twelfth Angel.

But that did little to help him in the short term, as the hysteric man was still capable of pulling off several attacks; its mind seeming to only agree that Shinji needed to die.

"Man; I thought you were supposed to be military," said Shinji, glad he took a quick look at what the situation was and the information available before he took off. "Can't you even aim? Oh, I know; you were a cook for the stockades?"

"ARGH!" screamed the creature, before the red whip borrowed from the Fourth Angel turned golden white, as it seemed to lash out at Shinji like a snake.

It was quicker than Shinji thought; and it did one thing he didn't believe was possible.

It pierced his AT Field and struck his stomach.

He bit back a scream as it dug into him, even as it seemed to spread.

"_**Become one with me; join me and become a God!"**_

He could tell that it was still the confused mind of the man before him, who was now smiling at what he had done.

Thinking as quickly as he could, he raised his sword up, before stabbing into the tentacle now embedded in his stomach.

Paul/Armisael screamed in pain, as it reared back, releasing itself from Shinji's stomach.

_I don't have time to play with him anymore. I barely was able to fight that thing off. I need to end this ... **now!**_

Sadly, that meant he had to use a move that would ensure there was nothing left for Paul/Armisael to regenerate. And the only attack he knew that could do just that was based off the energy weapons used by the Angels. It was somewhat of an energy cannon, using the sword as the antenna to focus the blast. It tapped into the full potential of an S2 organ.

The downside was that all of his early attempts had been hard to control; power levels tended to max out, no matter how little he wanted to put in. Add to that the recoil of the blast being just as strong, and you had a final move of desperation.

It was also the only chance he had to kill Paul/Armisael before it could kill or absorb him. _Man; I picked the wrong day to wake-up._

Shinji threw his sword into the air, avoiding a decapitating blow from the hybrid; its tentacle changing back to the red whip, as he positioned himself below the thing.

Acting quickly, he caught the hilt of the sword between his wrists, the blade pointed at the quickly approaching madman, as Shinji began to put power into an attack he had only designed recently, and never tried.

He had never tried it for one reason; if it failed, there would be a very big bang, and a crater the size of an island.

"TIME TO DIE!" screamed Paul/Armisael; his hands cupped together as he prepared to launch a combined energy attack that would have made the Fifth's energy beam look like a small toy.

Shinji closed his eyes, hoping that his luck still held, as he fired, opening his eyes.

"Armageddon Cannon!"

A beam of energy, colored like a shifting aurora, lanced out from his hands, guided by the path the sword was pointing, as the force slammed him into the street. As the blast continued, the street began to crack, as a small crater began to form from the kickback of the attack.

Paul/Armisael didn't care, launching his own attack, sneering at the gall of the infidel that dared take him on, dared to try and stop his destiny.

But the sneer quickly turned to panic as the two blasts did not change course, as they had done during the first assault of the Fifth and Shinji. The two blasts struck head on.

And then Shinji's blast quickly overwhelmed Paul/Armisael's blast.

Paul/Armisael put everything he had into his blast, every bit of energy his body could produce or tap into.

But Shinji's blast overwhelmed his attack, and then enveloped him. Paul/Armisael barely had time to scream before the power of the blast vaporized him beyond anything his Angel abilities could recover from.

Shinji tried to stop the blast, its purpose done, but found the flaw he never knew about. While it took a while to fire it, it also took a while to stop it.

And until then, anything in its way was fair game.

That included the shield covering Tokyo-3.

The emitters whined as the force on them struck full force, overcoming any resistance, as they finally gave way, sending a shower of sparks as they overloaded.

And still the blast continued, even as Shinji slowly stopped the flow of power, the small impact crater he had made from firing it now three stories deep.

By the time Shinji had finally stopped firing, the blast had already sent a shockwave in the upper atmosphere, tossing several planes about and sending clouds scattering. Finally, it reached a solid surface after annihilating several satellites.

It had reached the Moon. As it struck, the surface became molten, as it had been once over four billions years ago when Adam's world had struck Earth. As the surface of lava grew, small remnants from earlier space programs began to fall victim, being swallowed by the intense heat.

As the power cut off from the attack, Shinji's arms fell backwards, over his head. As the sword hit the ground, it shattered; the power and the attack too much for the blade to have handled, as Shinji passed out.

For the moon, it would be a new sight for the world to see when it cooled, as it would be a new scene; a very large area now was blasted smooth, free of craters, and no idea what that would mean for the planet below.

* * *

Within the Geo-Front, next to the patch of watermelons Kaji grew, now stood a large granite stone with a plaque on it. Before this stone, sat Shinji Ikari, with Rei and Ritsuko standing several meters behind him.

He had been very adamant about this being done. He felt it was demanded by the actions that had allowed him to survive, even if the others would never know. After all, he didn't want to detract from Rei's existence in the eyes of the others.

Ritsuko looked on, before bowing her head.

"You do not hate them anymore?"

Ritsuko turned to Rei. "I couldn't hate them after I woke up and realized what my life had become. I'm not my mother, Rei. I won't blame an innocent for the actions of the guilty."

"But you still feel for them?"

"They deserved a chance at life. Maybe we could have saved them when we acquired the Artificial Soul technology, maybe given them a life of their own."

"Perhaps; but it was their choice to sacrifice themselves to save Shinji-kun. They felt he was more important than themselves."

"It doesn't make it any easier to accept their deaths."

"A year ago, you would not have cared. Their deaths have done more than return Shinji to us; they have shown you your own growth."

Ritsuko nodded, as Shinji stood up, laying down a bouquet of flowers before the marker, before he went to them.

The plaque on the marker was simple, but done with beauty.

"_**In memory of a group of girls who gave their all to save humanity. May their spirits soar into the souls of us all. May they know the peace this life could never afford them. Goodbye, to those that loved me and were loved in return."**_

* * *

On top of one of the roofs of the city sat a happy couple.

Kaoru still held Mayumi, as he had from the moment she began to ascend. At the beginning, it was to comfort her as the pain of her wings emerging hit her. Afterwards, it was to share comfort, and show her he was still there for her.

Her wings were a midnight purple, matching her hair. Already, she had taken off her glasses, no longer needing them to see. Her skin tone was as healthy as ever.

And ... she was sleeping against his shoulder, a smile covering her face.

Kaoru would admit he now understood humanity's need for such things at a higher level. He was ... content ... to be around her. He wondered if this was something all lilim could experience. He was relatively sure that the Angels had never experienced this.

But then again he had a hard time imagining them being able to find a special someone, given their unique forms.

**Come to me.**

Kaoru paled, looking around.

**Come to me, Child of Adam. Come to free me.**

Kaoru's eyes grew, a small tear escaping his eye, as he hugged Mayumi tighter, not wanting it to be true, not wanting to hear the call.

So much so, that he failed to notice as the shadows of Mayumi's wings seemed to pulse.


	23. Free Will versus Destiny

**Chapter 23**

**Free Will versus Destiny**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

Kaoru looked over the landscape, having spent most of the evening sitting there in the park, holding the sleeping form of the woman who had come to mean so much to him.

He didn't look at her now. He had made the mistake of doing that several times, only to quickly turn back as his heartache began to grow worse.

Pain of the heart was nothing new to him. After all, he was the Angel who had spent the most time among the lilim, understanding them in ways none of his siblings could. He had seen them at their best and at their worst; the latter having more to do with his former caretakers than where he was now.

He was happy.

He felt complete.

And he was going to have to give it all up.

* * *

_I understand them more as time progresses, as I progress._

_That is not to say I understand it all; a fact I am certain even Lilith would never make. They seem to be a species built on contradictions, both of the laws they live by outside of themselves, and the laws that they themselves make upon their own souls._

_I have asked as well as debated this subject with Shinji-kun. During our conversations, I have learned much about the so-called "human condition". It is a debate that I am quite certain I would never finish, despite what the theorized life expectancy of an ascended is._

_Love? Hate? Anger? Joy? Passion? Angst? _

_To one such as me, these terms were as alien to me as the Commonality is to the lilim ... at first._

_But being here among them, piloting beside them against my brethren, my bonding with Hoshoni, and my relationship with Mayumi Yamagishi; each has changed my opinions of the species, revising them constantly, as new data became available._

_I know it would seem "cold" to them to view this all as an experiment. And do not misunderstand me, I see them as worthy heirs to this world ... at least those that I know now. I am not foolish enough to forget the petty desires of the lilim group known as SEELE._

_But the souls I have come to know here in Tokyo-3 are quite worthy, and I admit with no hesitation that should they have their existences ended, I would miss them._

_I have recently become aware of a saying, "A leopard cannot change its spots." It was after I watched a show with Kensuke-kun, about a star trek in some quadrant. It had a tale about a scorpion saying it couldn't change what was in its nature._

_I do believe people can grow beyond their nature. I myself have done so. My nature demands I find and merge with the All-Father._

_But I have suppressed the nature, even the strange hatred I seem to have for Lilith. After all, if I am to hate her, should I not know why I do so?_

_It is strange to me, this hatred between Adam and Lilith. This is also something I have spent many hours debating with Shinji about. If what he says is true, and both were created by the same race, then does that not make them siblings? Should we not act like family, or are there events between the two Seeds that we children are not made aware of?_

_This is what this war could be seen as: children fighting for the love of a parent. Which one of us is the favorite._

_Is that all we are: pawns for them to use in their battles against each other? Do they even know why they have such hatred?_

_But those thoughts seem far from me as I stare at Mayumi's sleeping form. I feel the pain still, but I want to remember her._

_I hope the others don't tell her what really happens to me. If I succeed, she will survive, and I find that is what matters most. Without that fact, I am uncertain I could follow the path laid before me._

_But she will be safe. Whether I kill Lilith or join with Adam, she is already beyond their grasps for remaking the world._

_This is the infamous lose-lose situation I have heard discussed._

_I can only hope that if Mayumi ever hears of what I must do, that she can somehow understand, and even forgive me._

_The sad thing is ... I am not certain I can forgive myself._

* * *

A lone man walked towards Tokyo-3 via the road, smiling as he went along. Nature was his true home, even before he felt the calling of the duty he now performed.

Smiling, he looked over what he could see of the city from the road-side, enjoying the conflicting beauty between nature and science.

"So this is where you have fought, my student," he said, smiling.

His attention was caught by a passing bird, which seemed to glide to him, landing on his arm.

"Be well, my student," said the man. "For your greatest test is at hand."

* * *

"He's been like that for days," muttered Asuka, staring at the roofs of the junior high, seeing Shinji sitting on it, staring into the sky.

"That sword must have really meant a lot to him," said Toji, looking up, before returning to the meal Hikari had brought him.

"Was there a story behind it?" asked the Class Rep.

Rei nodded. "It was a gift from his most influential sensei. It was all Shinji had of him, other than the training."

"So with it broken," said Mana, "he had lost that last connection."

Rei nodded. "At this time, NERV has been unable to locate the man. He was supposed to train us, in the hopes it would allow us to be better pilots."

"They think he's dead?" asked Hikari.

"It is a possibility," said Rei. "For him to avoid detection for this long would lend credence to such a hypothesis."

Hikari nodded, a bit fearful that Rei had sounded like her old self, the self before Shinji's arrival.

"Hey," said Kensuke. "Where's Kaoru and Mayumi?"

Asuka snorted. "The happy couple wanted to eat by themselves today."

"Nothing wrong with that," said Toji. "But I wonder what's up with him. I mean, he's been distancing himself from us."

"Perhaps he's afraid of the last Angel," said Mana. "I mean, what happens to us when we defeat it? What happens to the Evas and the JAs?"

"It is unknown," said Rei. "But at this time, it is doubtful that either Commander Ikari of the JSSDF would order their destruction. Popularity of them has made such a decision a bad PR action."

The others looked at her as if she had gone mad.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Wondergirl?" asked Asuka. "You sound like the damned doll I thought you were when I came here."

"When Shinji was cured, I ... I am uncertain. But I fear it may have ... done something to me," said Rei, only the barest amounts of fear were entering her voice.

It wasn't that she believed his knowledge of her past—of what and who she was—was affecting him. He knew that she was no more Yui Ikari: the progenitor of zero-point-one-one percent of her DNA, than Gendo Ikari was. She may have the woman's appearance, but she was not Yui. She was Rei Ayanami and no one else.

It was more a combination of things. Her past, the secrets of his dreams, and the loss of his sensei's gift all added to his weight and burden. It is not the straw that breaks the camel's back, but the collection of hay he is forced to carry that does. "In the last few days, many facts have become known to him that are influencing how he will interface with reality."

"You mean our pains," said Asuka, not wanting to admit her own unintentional part in the whole affair.

Rei nodded. "However it occurred, the result has changed him, even if the threads of those memories do not encase his soul with the force they had before."

"That sucks," said Toji. "I mean, it ain't like we wanted them, but it wasn't like we wanted to share them with him ... not like that."

Rei nodded. "It does not change what has occurred."

"Should we talk to him about it?" asked Hikari. "I mean, who better to help him with those memories than the ones they belonged to."

"It will not be that simple," said Rei, looking up towards Shinji. "It depends mostly on the patient's desire to talk, and he is far from that at the moment."

* * *

Shinji stared at the cloudless sky, his lunch long since eaten.

While he may have finished the food quickly—a meal prepared by a worried Rei—it did little to quiet his mind.

His heart was still in pain from the loss of the clones. He could tell they were different from each other, no more an exact copy than what one got from a copier. While each had ties to the one soul they seemed to share, those ties differed.

To understand, one had to think of a soul as a ball. No matter how you turn it, it is still the same ball. But with the clones, those turns changed the "angle" at which the soul was perceived.

Following that, one would then use the analogy to view each Rei as "connected" to this ball via a string; each string would be connected to a different part of the ball's surface.

With that, each Rei would still be the same soul. But the parts they are connected to would "influence" how that particular Rei would be perceived.

Each Rei would have been unique, since no two strings would have connected to the same spot on the ball. But each Rei was still the same Rei.

It was what made the most sense to him; if anything about this war could be made to make sense. In a way, it both diminished and elevated the sacrifice of the clones. They were Rei; both a part of her and the whole. They were dead, but not dead.

It was confusing.

His eyes slowly drew upwards, catching sight of the moon in the sky, the large area he had blasted still visible. Though it had long since cooled, the now undisturbed and unmarked surface was very new and also very frightening. That attack was the very definition of overkill. For some reason, after it left his hands, it expanded outwards in a cone, until the diameter reached about half a kilometer, before it continued on as bar of energy.

The fact it had done its intended job and left nothing of the angel-fused human for him to evolve and adapt, was a bonus. The fact it had smoothed out an area on the moon large enough to be seen by the unaided eye ... that was something on its own.

Something that would make people more afraid of him.

It was already bad enough that he seemed to be the only one to generate eight wings. None had even come close to generating a second pair ... that was assuming he knew what the signs were in the first place. In the eyes of the uninitiated; those with no real clue what and who he was, it was just another sign that he was more dangerous than before.

_It's times like this that I really miss Sensei. I mean, he always knew ways to help whatever was bothering me._

"I heard you broke the sword I gave you, Student."

Shinji's eyes opened wide, slowly looking to the middle of the roof.

Before him, stood a man of near two meters in height, hair as white as snow. His grey eyes could pierce your soul with one look, but that was disarmed by his ever-present smile. Though his figure was usually obscured by a long, light coat he wore; Shinji had fought him enough times to know that the body underneath of it was strong and fast.

Despite Shinji's abilities, he had never once defeated the man before him, let alone tagged him with a punch, kick, or attack.

"SENSEI!" screamed Shinji like a little kid, as he tackled his teacher.

Despite the joy and power in the move, the man showed no signs of having endured any of it, not even a slight movement of his form.

The smile remained, as the man hugged Shinji as well. "I missed you as well, Student."

"Where have you been?" asked Shinji, pulling back a bit to look at his teacher. "We've been trying to find you for months!"

The man just patted Shinji on the head, smiling. "Now that my Student, is a story all its own."

* * *

"So where have you been?" asked Misato, standing beside Sensei—she hadn't been able to get his name from either Shinji or the man himself—as Shinji performed a new kata the man had just shown him.

"Here and there," he replied. "Shinji, tighten up that spin!"

"Yes, Sensei!" yelled the happy boy.

Misato sighed. The man was harder to get an answer out of then getting Asuka to cook. "He hasn't been this happy since his caretakers came by last month. He won't let them come back now; too dangerous."

Sensei nodded. "That is his way; putting others before himself. They love each other like a real family should. Probably hurting him a lot."

Misato nodded, wanting to say he had a family here as well. But she knew that would just make it sound empty. "Why didn't you come sooner? We could have used your help training the other pilots."

"I simply wasn't needed then," said the man, watching happily as he noticed how improved his student's form was. "Nice to see you fixed that flaw, Student."

"Yes, Sensei!"

"How would you know that?"

"That his form has improved?"

"No; that he didn't need you."

"Just because I was not here in form, did not mean I was not observing him in spirit."

"Some new martial arts technique?" asked Misato in a disbelieving voice.

"No," said Sensei, "it's called the news. You were broadcasting the battles, remember?"

"Oh," said Misato. "But that's still not a valid excuse for—"

"Miss," interrupted Sensei, "I cannot hold his hand every day of his life. Eventually, he will need to learn to develop on his own as well as stand on his own."

"Then why come back now?"

"A feeling that he will need me soon."

"That's it?"

"Yes, that's it."

Shinji heard all of this, his ears picking up the conversation. And while it was nice that Sensei had so much faith in him, it would have been nice to know that his teacher was still alive. Plus, there was only so much he could teach the others on his own.

With Sensei, it was like the guy knew exactly how to teach anyone anything. For Shinji, he found it difficult to maintain the programs while detailing it for all of the pilots and the occasional Section 2 Agent who wanted to be useful and the best at his job.

Of course, that may have also been the fault of his constant trips to Intensive Care or the resulting comas and insanity.

Add to that the classes on how for the neo-humans to fly, as well as NERV, classes, and friends; he found his time was stressed too much to be an effective teacher. And if he knew one thing, it was that students often needed much in the way of personal attention from their sensei in order to truly advance.

He even wondered if perhaps there was more once again to Sensei. He had been the only person that had been a constant challenge to him before he ascended to his second form.

Was Sensei perhaps the first result of this "evolutionary field" that Shinji seemed to inspire? Was Sensei able to suppress the wings as Shinji had been able to do?

But he couldn't help but wonder something else. He couldn't help but desire to know if the fact Sensei had chosen now to reappear perhaps meant something worse was on the horizon.

* * *

Kaoru looked over towards Mayumi, the girl leaning against his side, reading one of the new books that had caught her attention. It was moments like this he found himself treasuring so much, more than anything else he had experienced to this point.

He had to wonder if it was because of both what they were and what had been planned for them by others, that seemed to form the connection of souls between them. Both were tools for SEELE, though he had yet to have definitive proof that such had been the desired fate of the young girl. But the question of who could have created the Angel's core that had resided in could only produce one answer.

But they were both more than that, no longer tied to either the destiny of the Two Angels.

But that was far from a perfect situation. He could still hear Lilith's Call, and the feeling that even Adam was around further tempted him.

He knew he would be forced to answer the call, as his brethren had been. It was a Siren's Song that none of the Children of Adam could resist. He often wondered if Rei heard the call; being that she was as close to the First Seeds as he himself was. Perhaps even Mayumi heard it, at least on a subconscious level.

Then again, if such were true, should not the Ascended hear the call? If they didn't, then why did he? Was it because he had originally been an Angel, had been Tabris?

He mentally snorted at how his destiny was being controlled even now. Though he was supposed to be the being of Free Will, he found himself being forced to choose a path not of his liking, and not of his will. If he had his option, then the attack of the Seventeenth Angel would not occur.

"You lost in thought, Kaoru-kun?" asked Mayumi, looking up from her book.

"A little," he said. "I find myself faced with quite a quandary."

"Something you can tell me?" she asked, putting her book away.

He loved when she did it. Kaoru knew how much her reading meant to her, and the simple act of putting the books away, meant she valued him more. "No. I fear this dilemma is something I must deal with on my own. I appreciate the offer."

Mayumi nodded. "Just as long as you know you can come to me with anything, at anytime."

He nodded; his smile still present that seemed to melt her heart. _I fear that this problem may end with you forever hating me; no matter what decision I make._

As she leaned back and began to return to her book, Kaoru took in a deep breath, wanting to memorize the moment as much as he could. One way or another, he felt that his moments with such an Angel of the Heart were coming to an end, sooner than he desired.

But he found things were quickly approaching a point where denial was no longer an option.

* * *

Kaoru sat at his desk in the school, the bell having long since rang and dismissed the student body.

Mayumi had to head to the library to retrieve some newly arrived books and put them in the system. Her after-school position in the library earned her a few yen, and allowed her to be in her own private heaven. He could remember just sitting in the library, doing his homework, and catching the look of joy on her face as she wondered around doing her work.

But today he was holding back, preparing to deposit his last testaments into the desk of his best friend as well as the woman he could openly admit to love.

It was a curious moment for him when he realized that fact. He had long seen others claim to be in love, but were merely suffering the effects of hormones. Very few could honestly be called as those lucky enough to have a connection that traversed the bonds of humanity into the realm of souls.

It made him feel ... human.

But those times were soon at an end. Looking at the sole letter in his hand, he placed it inside Shinji's desk, with a note that it was to be opened when he was dead. He had no thoughts of surviving this encounter.

Turning towards Mayumi's desk, he thought to what he had written in the letter he had placed in her desk when she had left the classroom. It had outlined his feelings as well as his reasons for doing what he was about to do. He wanted her to remember him as he was with her, and not how he was about to die.

Either way that the confrontation would turn out, she would be safe.

That was enough for him.

* * *

"Where are you going?" asked Rei, looking at the pale skinned male that had started to pass her.

"I go where I must."

Rei's eyes narrowed. "You wish to challenge Shinji now?"

Kaoru's face replayed her own facial features. "I would not need to nor desire to if Lilith would desist her activities."

Rei turned to the side, refusing to look at him again. "I am no more responsible for her activities than you are for your own progenitors."

"Yet you still feel justified in passing judgment over me for what you know is beyond my control to affect."

Rei slowly turned back to face him. "Your actions will affect Shinji-kun in a negative way. I cannot allow this."

Kaoru snorted. "Do remember sister-dear, that it is your Mother that causes him the most harm. The All-Father has yet to make any moves for or against Shinji-kun."

Rei refused to answer that comment.

"Though I suppose the fact that all of her closest children had turned against her to stand with him, as I have done against my brothers and sisters in arms, speaks more of her worth to all than anything I could do."

"You chose that path as we did."

"And yet a path is forced on me, with no choice. Yet in your eyes, I am as guilty as if I have made that choice of my own free will."

Rei looked at him, sadness in her eyes. "What are your intentions?"

"I wish to face Shinji alone and away from Eva. We will battle by ourselves, as he did with the Sixteenth. That battle alone shall determine the end. I owe him that much, even as an Angel of the White Seed."

"You wish to kill him?" she asked, anger hinted in her voice.

"I wish to determine which path is the correct one. If I am to be forced to choose this engagement, then it shall be done for my own reasons more so than the call of a decrepit Black Seed."

"And if death results from that?" she asked, her hands clenched into fists.

Kaoru shrugged. "The path is not mine to lay out. I am the representation of Free Will according to the scrolls.

As he walked past her, he paused for a bit, placing his hand on her shoulder. "For what it is worth, I do envy you. You will continue to be one of them, even if the truth of your birth is revealed. I shall not fare as fortunate, I feel."

As he walked on, Rei could not help but feel some pang of sorrow for the former Angel. It wasn't like she could wish him luck, or even try and change his mind. The Lure of the Call was engraved into him, as much a part of whom and what he was now as it had been before he ascended. Even now, he had not attacked due to his own ambivalence about such an act, his desire to remain ... human ... in the eyes of those who knew him.

"I hope he finds what he truly desires, and not what others assume he desires," said Rei, before moving off.

* * *

"**Must we do this, Kaoru?"** asked Hoshoni, standing impassively in the Eva bay.

Kaoru nodded, speaking only in thought and only so that Hoshoni could hear him, as the Eva had done. _I fear that I must do this, my friend. I will not insist you help me; I understand your feelings on this._

"**I promised to stand by you always,"** said the soul of Unit 04. **"I would indeed be a poor friend if I abandoned you now, would I not?"**

Kaoru smiled sadly. _I would prefer if you did not accompany me on this. I am uncertain that I may survive. If you come with me, the odds are neither of us will return from this ... attempt._

"**Be that as it may, I would still follow you. We are partners, friends in battle and in life. I shall not forsake you, even now."**

Kaoru lowered his head, tears flowing down his face. He knew it was happening; he had cried before whenever one of his teammates—be they Eva, human, or JA—was injured. For him, they were all the same thing: they were family.

Raising his head, he smiled as Hoshoni. "Come my friend, let us begin this show."

With that, Hoshoni's eyes lit up.

* * *

Central Dogma had been full of tension lately. From what they had been told, there was only one more Angel remaining.

Of course, none of them believed it would be that easy or that simple. There very being told them that even if the Seventeenth Angel was destroyed, the mysterious backers who had assisted the Jet Alone projects, who had sent mercenaries after both Shinji and Sub Commander Fuyutsuki, who had sabotaged their power systems during an Angel attack; these forces would not simply disappear with the threat of having their planet rebooted for another species.

"All this worrying won't help," said Ritsuko, handing her friend a fresh cup of coffee.

"We have one left," said Misato, "and no idea what'll show up next to attack us."

"No need to lose to ourselves," Ritsuko said, sitting down beside Misato. "As things stand, we're in near perfect shape. Just as long as the next Angel is something we can deal with."

Nodding, Misato took a sip of her coffee, before she glanced up towards the Command Level, where Gendo was sitting with the Sub Commander. "What do you think he has planned?"

Ritsuko shrugged. "Best guess, he's discussing the new upgrades. We've been able to start synthesizing the alloy based off the anti-AT Field weaponry. With any luck, if those bastards send some more of those armored idiots to attack us, we'll be able to cut them down."

"Unless they find out a way to copy what Shinji did," said Misato, remembering the reports of how Shinji's AT Field shifted from orange to white, reflecting the bullets away from himself.

Ritsuko was about to counter that point, when the alarms sounded.

"Unit 04 just activated, ma'am!" yelled Makoto.

Maya screamed. "A virus is attacking the MAGI! Bakelite is being poured into the Eva cages!"

"The JSSDF systems are locked down!" yelled Sanada. "We can't launch the Icarus or the Goliath!"

"Is this an attack?" asked Rara.

"Who's piloting Unit 04?" yelled Misato.

"No one!" yelled Maya. "The entry plug isn't even inserted. The spare Dummy Plug system is reading as offline!"

"Blue AT Field pattern detected inside Central Dogma!" yelled Makoto.

"WHAT?" yelled Fuyutsuki, as both him and Gendo looked on.

"MAGI have identified the pattern ... as ... as Kaoru Nagisa's!" came the shocked announcement of Ritsuko.

Sanada fell back into his seat. "He's an Angel!"

Rara shook his head. "But Shinji's vision said an Angel would side with us. Why is he attacking now?"

Gendo sighed. _So Lilith, even now, you continue to pursue your own aims. But to what ends will this lead?_

* * *

Mayumi had been walking about the park, trying to understand what Kaoru's letter had meant. He asked her to meet him here, but he was running ten minutes late.

"That's not like Kaoru-kun," she whispered.

She would have been blind not to see he was changing the last week they had been together. He seemed distant at times, even suffering from nightmares when he had fallen asleep with his head in her lap, as she had read a new book.

"Why won't you tell me what troubles you, Kaoru-kun?" she asked no one in particular.

She knew he was in trouble. Something deep within her, in a place she had formerly associated with the pain she often felt before she ascended, told her he was in trouble.

Turning slightly, she felt a ... calling ... back towards the city, something calling to her that her boyfriend was in trouble.

"No," she whispered, as she began to run towards the feeling. She had finally found a boy who seemed perfect for her, who seemed to truly understand her, who forced away all of the loneliness she had ever felt.

And she would not give that or him up without a fight. She knew she wasn't as strong as him. He had faced Angels. She had never done that.

But for him, for her heart, for their love; she would fight harder than she could have ever done before.

She was quite lucky no one else was in that part of the park as she took off to the skies. As such, they would have seen a small trail of shadows appear to be forming around her legs.

* * *

"He's past the fourth defensive layer and still descending!" yelled Makoto.

"We can't cut the power to the linear carriage!" yelled Sanada.

"Evacuate all personnel!" yelled Fuyutsuki. "Seal all bulkheads and shutters in Central Dogma! We have to buy ourselves as much time as we can!"

As they performed his instructions, he fell back a bit. "Is this part of SEELE's plan?" he asked.

Gendo nodded. "It would appear that he is either still in their sway, or Lilith has found a way to overcome his wishes."

Kozo looked upon the man. "Are you saying he might not be under his own control?"

"The prophecy of my son has been too specific for this to be the will of the Fifth Child. Given what Section 2 has reported on his relationship with the suspected sleeper agent that we believe the old men have sent; we must assume that Kaoru is not doing this of his free will."

Kozo nodded. "Still doesn't sit right; the Angel of Free Will being controlled."

Gendo nodded. "There is another possibility," he said, motioning to his console that always displayed the Eva cage of Unit 01.

It was the lone Eva not currently sealed in Bakelite. "I believe he wishes to fight Shinji. He is inviting him to stop his acts."

"Let's hope to God that he can."

Gendo snorted. "I would rather trust Man than God."

"Or in this case, your son?"

Gendo nodded.

Kozo couldn't help but smile. _It's about time you acted the part you used to, Ikari._

* * *

Shinji ran as fast as he could to his Eva, hoping he wasn't too late.

"Why, Kaoru?" he kept muttering.

Was he possessed? Was it planned all along?

Was he being forced?

"I'll have my answers, one way or another."

* * *

"Target has made it past the fourteenth barrier!" yelled Makoto.

"Where is Unit 01?" yelled Misato.

"On his way," said Sensei, walking into the room.

Misato whirled to face the man. "Did you know this was going to happen?"

Sensei shook his head. "I had a feeling that I would be needed to restore the inner light of my student. If I have done my job, then we have nothing to worry about."

"And if not?" asked Ritsuko.

The man closed his eyes. "Then humanity in its unascended form will end today."

"Unit 01 has reached the Fourth Layer!" yelled Makoto. "It's about to reach the target!"

* * *

Kaoru looked up, spotting the descending form of Unit 01 above him. Smiling, he glanced towards where he knew the internal cameras would see him the best. "I have been waiting for you, Shinji-kun."

"KAORU-KUN!" came the yell from the loud speakers built inside the purple EVA, as it reached them.

Hoshoni snapped towards them, the two mecha testing each other's strength, hands locked.

"**Why are you helping him?"** yelled Yui.

"**I will not forsake my friends, no matter the paths they may take!"**

"**Then I am sorry,"** said Yui, as both she and Hoshoni withdrew their Progressive Knives.

Kaoru looked on as the two battled, wondering what would happen to his friend once this was done. His betrayal could be explained. If he failed, he doubted very much he would be around for them to punish.

Hoshoni could very well be left for dead. At the very least, the Eva might be forever sealed away somewhere as punishment for going against the wills of their Masters.

"Kaoru, stop! Why are you doing this?" yelled Shinji.

Kaoru shook his head. "The Call is beyond the means of any Angel to resist, Shinji-kun," he calmly replied. "I thank you for ascending me. It is because of that, that I have been able to resist the Call for so long.

"Even though I know it is not Adam who reaches out to me, but Lilith, I still must answer it."

"I don't understand!" yelled Shinji, as the two knives pushed against one another.

Kaoru shook his head. _I wish I did, Shinji-kun. _

* * *

Misato leaned over Makoto's shoulder. "If Shinji fails, if his signal is terminated, or any other changes occur..."

"I know," said Makoto. "I have the Self-Destruct program all ready. But I still have faith in that kid."

"They're entering Terminal Dogma!" yelled Maya.

"This is bad," said Ritsuko. "The shielding in that place will cut us off from talking to them."

"Then how the hell will we know if Shinji loses?" asked Rara, not wanting to be dead if someone got fearful of the unknown battle and tried to end his life. "I don't wanna die! I finally got my credit score up!"

Sensei looked over at the bald and stocky man. "If he fails, we will all know."

* * *

As the two units slammed into the barren landscape under the portal, they slowly rose, continuing to strike at each other.

"I wish we could have parted on better terms, Shinji-kun," said Kaoru, looking at the battle, before he turned away, deciding to walk the rest of the way. "But I fear this is where we part."

"One problem with that," said Shinji.

Kaoru turned around to the voice, only to receive a fist to the jaw, sending him through several of the massive pillars.

"You assumed I was inside 01," said Shinji, cracking his knuckles, his eight wings deployed. "Mother is just as strong as Hoshoni. She doesn't need me to pilot her."

Almost as if an unseen signal had been given, the two Evangelions released their own wings. But without Shinji, Unit 01 was forced to rely only on its own two.

Kaoru slowly raised himself up from the rocks, his AT Field sending them off of himself. "A brilliant move, Shinji-kun."

"I don't understand, Kaoru," said Shinji, walking towards the new Angel. "What is the purpose of this. You just admitted you are heading to Lilith. Why?"

Smiling, the Fifth Child dusted his shirt off. "Normally, I would be going there because I would assume it was Adam calling out for me. But I know what really awaits me there."

"Then why?"

"Because I will kill her," said Kaoru. "She is an enemy of Adam, for what reasons, I cannot say because I do not know. But with her gone, humanity will either die or be ascended by you. Either way, her attacks on you, on all of us, will end. This senseless war will end as well."

"You expect me to believe this is all for me? For humanity?"

"My reasons are of little comfort to either of us," said Kaoru, slipping into a stance Shinji had taught him. "The truth of the matter is that I can no longer ignore Lilith's call. So I will try and justify it as best as I can."

He looked towards Shinji, tears in his eyes. "No matter what occurs now, Shinji-kun, promise me that you will try and not blame me for this. I truly was happy to be ... human. But this battle cannot be put off, and must occur. Even with Free Will, there are things even we cannot interfere with."

"If that's what it takes," said Shinji. "Then I'll just have to knock your ass out and drag you to your senses, kicking and screaming." With that, the Grey Seed darted forward with as much speed as he could, intent on knocking out his friend before matters became worse.

But they did, as Kaoru caught Shinji's strike with a minimum of effort. "Just so you know, Shinji-kun, I am as strong in this form as you are in that form. I was long manipulating the light of my soul before you understood what it even was."

With that, Kaoru returned Shinji's earlier attack, sending him towards Heaven's Gate. "I face you now as an equal, Shinji-kun. This should be an excellent fight."

* * *

"Another AT Field has been detected!" yelled out Shigeru.

"What now?" yelled Misato.

* * *

Mayumi tore through the doors that tried to hold her back from her love. She didn't know where she was, as Kaoru had never taken her to these parts of NERV.

But she did know that the feeling that Kaoru was in danger increased as she went further into NERV.

She didn't question what this feeling was, or how she seemed to be able to get to him through what she had been told was the best security available.

All she knew was that someone dear to her heart was in danger.

And nothing would stand in her way.

* * *

"What is that girl doing?" yelled Misato.

"Isn't it obvious," said Sensei. Seeing their looks, he elaborated. "She is going to protect her love. Quite likely, it will be from himself."

"The MAGI have classified her as the Eighteenth Angel!" yelled Ritsuko.

"_Where are you, Kaoru?"_ came the security feed of Mayumi.

"We might be in luck," said Sanada. "I think she's not hearing the call."

"It's possible only one Angel can hear it at a time," said Rara.

"What happens if he comes into contact with Lilith?" asked Misato.

Ritsuko shook her head. "Misato, the two are incompatible. He won't merge with Lilith, he'll kill her. Without Lilith, no normal human can survive. And Shinji's nowhere near strong enough to ascend the entire planet."

"The Angels would win by default," said Fuyutsuki. "For now, we need her alive."

Misato nodded. Of course, that made the self destruct a bad idea. But if Kaoru made a move that Adam was his next target, she might not have a choice. _I just hope enough people survive to spread out. Shinji might not be around to evolve everyone, but we could save as many as we can._

* * *

While the two titans continued to battle on the barren landscape of Terminal Dogma, the two Children continued to fight as hard as they could, several large dents and tears on the door separating Lilith's Chamber from Terminal Dogma testified to the strength they were fighting at.

The two were not holding back, strikes flying at speeds unseen by human eyes, shock waves from missed strikes tearing across the landscape. Already several craters and gouges dotted the hallway.

But the fight was still as intense as before, both men looking for an opening to exploit.

While Shinji had trained in combat and martial arts for years, Kaoru had the advantage of his heritage. When SEELE had decided to send him early, he had studied what information they had had on the young Ikari. Even to the point where Kaoru had watched several fighting style practiced. Add to that the piloting and information placed into the Commonality by the Thirteenth Angel, and you had a very well-prepared boy.

Of course, that also included what he could see on television. As he thrust his hands forward, cupping them as if to strike, Shinji moved to deflect the attack.

It was the opening the Angel had been waiting for. Concentrating his AT Field into his hands, he allowed it to surge forward, launching Shinji not only through the battered doors of Heaven's Gate, but across the LCL pond inside Lilith' Domain, and into a small battleship that had been set up there for some odd reason or another.

Smirking, Kaoru floated over the threshold, the doors now laying on their sides. As he wiped some blood from his mouth, he tried to smirk, not showing how much damage he had already received from their fight. "I do hope you have more than that, Shinji-kun."

His response was the LCL below him to surge upward slight, as Shinji flew from it, delivering a shot to the gut, followed by a spin kick that sent Kaoru into the wall surrounding the room. "I won't lose to something like this, Kaoru."

The Angel slowly pulled himself back to standing, coughing a bit. Noticing the small amount of blood now on the hand that had covered his mouth during the cough, he smiled once again. "I will say this for the Grey; if nothing else, we shall really know what the better path for the development of all is."

With that said, the battle was joined once more.

* * *

Rei continued to follow Mayumi as she made her way to an access tunnel for Terminal Dogma. The other pilots had not yet decided to try and engaged Kaoru.

Of course, that may have been more due to the fact they were isolated and locked up, separated from the facility and thus unable to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Kaoru.

It had taken a lot of work, but even she knew it had to be done this way. The others would only have interfered with the battle, and maybe have been killed. If so, then Shinji may fall into an unending rage, and the last hope for humanity would be destroyed.

No, this was a battle the two would have to work out on their own.

Truthfully, she did hope it ended without a death from either person. Though she may have no love for the former Angel, it did not mean she would not miss him. He was a comrade, and perhaps even the only true family she had on this world.

Cousin. She had a damn cousin that she was being forced to fight.

It did sadden her that in the end, she might not have anything, friends, family, and purpose.

But it would be for the best now. Shinji would face Kaoru, and the two would settle the fact of whether the Path of Grey was the correct one not only for them, but all humanity as well.

She paused for a bit, looking at the one agent who had been foolish enough to get between Mayumi and her search for her love. "Be glad she did not kill you. I would have thought you would have learned that getting between two beings in love was a bad idea."

As she walked on, the lone agent finally got the air back into his lungs, which had previously been thrown out by the shadowy figure that had tossed him like a rag doll. '_Sign up for NERV' he said. 'It's much safer than New LA' he said. Damn you, Riggs._ "I'm getting too old for this shit," mumbled the elderly black man, a fresh transfer from NERV's Second US branch.

* * *

By now, the two ascended beings were rapidly trading, blocking, and receiving blows. The Lair showed many signs of the size of their battle. The former ship that had been placed within the underground LCL lake now at the bottom. Many of the walls were cracked, if not sporting large gouges and holes in them. The former armor plated doors that had once been designed to take several N2 blasts at point blank range before failing, now resided torn, warped, and embedded in the walls as well when the two had used them as projectiles.

"KAORU!" screamed Shinji, his fist pulled back for a strike.

"SHINJI!" screamed the last Angel, as he reciprocated the act.

As the two fists met their intended targets; the other's face, a shock wave was produced, sending LCL tsunami's around the room.

The two looked each other in the eye, blue meeting red, as they flew apart, dashing back to resume their assaults. They rarely spoke to each other, choosing to let their battle do the speaking for them.

Normally, Kaoru would still be at a disadvantage. Shinji had more skill and experience than Kaoru, even if the Angel was the now sole user of the data within the Commonality of the Angels. But there was something to said for being the original. But Kaoru's little AT Surge trick did give him the needed edge to hang in there against Shinji.

But he could sense something coming from the Grey Seed, something powerful, which was growing stronger.

He had seen it before, if only at a glimpse, as Shinji had fought the Sixteenth. There were even some records before, showing that Shinji had to be tapping into the same primal forces that the Seeds and their children drew their power from.

He was certain that Shinji was starting to tap into it, his eyes slowly changing to red, his hair going full white.

_If he can do this, then he will be proven an Angel, a Seed. _

As Shinji's power levels began to sky-rocket, Kaoru almost smiled. His dreams and faith were being proven.

Now, he could die happily.

* * *

Hoshoni found himself in a worse position than his partner. While in theory, the two Evas were evenly matched, that was before Unit 01 had absorbed Shinji.

More importantly, that was before Unit 01 had been in direct contact with the soul of the Grey Seed. The very direct contact had allowed the Eva's power to grow. If it had kept the soul inside of it, it would have been a God.

Well, Goddess, actually.

But that was beside the point. The point was that it was stronger and faster than Unit 04 could ever hope to be, unless it too allowed its soul to come into direct contact with the soul of a Seed.

As such, the white unit sported more wounds than the purple counterpart. **"Give up now, Hoshoni!"** yelled Yui. **"I don't want to destroy you over this petty fight."**

"**I could no more give up on Kaoru than you could on your son,"** came the gentle reply from the white unit. **"I will not stop, until I am asked to by my partner. Please understand that. It is who I am at my core."**

Yui sighed, resigning herself to the fact that she would be forced to perhaps end the existence of Hoshoni in order to stop Kaoru. She knew the longer the fight dragged out, the longer the S2 organs would have to regenerate damage. Sure, a quick fight would always overcome the ability. But the longer it dragged out, the more time the opponent had to regenerate any damage.

As she prepared to make one last strike to immobilize the giant mecha so she could go after her son, she failed to notice two forms exit the opening in the ceiling.

One was the partially transformed Mayumi, her body covered in shadows. The other was the curious Rei, following to see what would occur, planning to intervene when necessary.

And she did not find it necessary to step in as Mayumi blew through the fighting Evas, sending them tumbling along the ground.

Rei simply glided past them, at a slower pace than Mayumi had gone, as she looked at the two injured and nearly unconscious Evangelions. "Sorry, but I must be going. Carry on."

Yui could only turn her head partially at the floating First Child. _I swear, she has my mother's sense of humor. That is the only thing that makes sense._

* * *

Kaoru coughed up a small amount of blood as Shinji's punch struck him hard in the gut.

By now, Shinji had once again entered his Seed Mode. His hair was now fully white, his eyes as red as Rei's or Kaoru's. And though his wings remained the same—torn between black on one side and white on the other—he had not lost his determination, as he continued to pummel the challenger before him.

Soon, the Angelic boy was struck hard enough to send him to the solid ground against the walls of the Lair, a small pit forming from the impact.

Shinji looked with sadness down upon his friend. He knew Kaoru would not stop, even if Shinji beat him to a pulp. It would take Mayumi or a miracle to stop the boy at this point.

And Shinji knew he didn't have the time to find the Fifth Child's girlfriend.

Gathering a small amount of energy in his hand, he prepared to finish Kaoru. With luck, the time it would take Kaoru to regenerate would be enough to find Mayumi and get the grey-haired lug to stop this foolish maneuver. That of course would be followed by knocking Lilith around until she stopped "tempting" Kaoru with the call.

Worst case: he was about to end the life of one of his best friends.

Sadly for him, that was when a blurry black tail struck him across the front hard, sending him careening into the wall behind him, producing a sizable impact crater.

"Owie."

* * *

Kaoru slowly opened his eyes, expecting to see whatever awaited all sentient beings that left the supposed mortal coil.

What he saw was a true angel in his eyes. "M-Mayumi?" he coughed out, his body battered from Shinji's attack.

The girl smiled, tears falling from her eyes, which had turned completely black. "Yes, my love, it is I."

Kaoru slowly looked down her frame, seeing what else may have changed, and wondering exactly how Mayumi had made it down into Terminal Dogma.

He found his answer.

While her physical body was the same, below her waist appeared a near-solid black shadow, resembling more what one would expect from a Naga. Even now, it had coiled protectively around him, supporting him from further injuring himself.

"The ... the angel's core. This is what effect it had?" he asked.

Mayumi nodded. "We are still ... uncertain of what and who we are. But we know what we desire, and that is your continued existence."

Kaoru could only smile. For the moment, it was Heaven, and he did not want to let go.

* * *

Shinji slowly pulled himself from the wall, having come to soon enough to see and hear the conversation between the converted Angels. "Don't see that everyday."

He would normally have found it very touching ... had not the neo-Angel girlfriend batted him into the wall with her tail. "Would it have been so damn hard for her to have showed up and **asked** us to stop fighting? No, she had to smack me into the wall like dart."

Shaking his head as he tried to gain some form of mobility, he turned towards the massive figure of Lilith. Ever so slowly, as Mayumi was busy fussing over her boyfriend, he floated before the Second Angel, the Black Seed of Individuality. "It ends now, Lilith. The war ends here. You will no longer send out the call; the last of the Angels has been defeated," he said, deciding he could call it a win. After all, it wasn't like Mayumi had any interest in the war.

**I will be victorious. This world has been mine before your species even had the faintest hints of a beginning. Neither you nor Adam and his servants will change that.**

"Bit of an ego you have there," said Shinji with a smirk. "Tell you what, you silence this Call, and I won't spend the rest of my energy seeing if I can silence you ... permanently."

**To do so would doom the rest of humanity to a singular death. Is that what you wish?**

He shook his head. "I'm willing to bet that I'll be able to ascend all of humanity before that ever becomes a problem. At this point, your life is simply a luxury; one we can easily do without.

"Of course, if you need more motivation," said Shinji, touching the Lance that protruded from her chest, "then I can grant that as well." With that said, he concentrated, sending energy into the Lance as he had done with his former sword. While his levels were nowhere near strong enough to make it another focus for an Armageddon Cannon, it was enough to make his point.

The scream of the Second Angel rang out across Terminal Dogma, its head whipped from side to side as it tried to fight the pain it felt.

"Shinji?"

Stopping the assault, he turned to see Rei behind him, floating as he had been. "Yes?"

"I can stop the Call."

"How exactly?"

Rei lowered her head. "As Kaoru is a child of Adam, so to am I a child of Lilith."

Shinji's eyes narrowed. "Does that mean you wish to fight me as well?"

"No," she said. "If anything, I am the Child of Black that has sided with you, as Kaoru is the Child of White that turned against his kin."

Shinji nodded, trusting Rei. Even after all that had occurred, he could trust Kaoru. It would be hypocritical not to extend to Rei the same courtesy. "Then how do you plan to silence her without killing her?" he asked, doubting Lilith would allow such a thing.

He was still half tempted to finish Lilith off now. He had no idea why she hadn't simply attacked him again, now recalling where those seven eyes had once been. Shinji vividly recalled the red forest where she had attacked him, and even the attack beyond that point. Why she was not doing so now, even at this range, was a mystery to him.

Rei floated towards the mask, placing her hand on the center of it, and closed her eyes.

**I will win, traitorous daughter. It will only be a matter of time.**

"That may be so," said Rei. "But that time is not today. Eventually, humanity will be beyond even the controls and tamperings of you and Adam. And on that day, you will be judged for how you have acted in this battle for control over one world.

"But for now, you will be silent!" she rose to a yell, as her hand seemed to glow.

For a moment, Lilith's scream was heard, before it seemed to fade into echoes.

Smiling, Shinji turned from her towards the others.

"What will become of them?" asked Rei.

Shinji shook his head. "I'm not certain. Confinement is almost certain after all of this. But I think his past actions and Lilith's Call will work in his favor."

"That is good," said Rei. "I do not wish to see him or Mayumi terminated. They seem ... human."

"More then that, Rei," said Shinji. "They seem happy."

Nodding, Rei placed her arm around Shinji's waist.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Too bad some of his ribs were still broken.

* * *

Sensei looked upon the monitors, observing the images they showed.

One was of a worn Shinji, floating in his regeneration tube—it now even had a plaque as a joke and gift from the workers of NERV stating it was "Shinji's Lovely Suite, Economy Edition"—as the girls in his life and other friends took turns watching over him.

The other showed the beaten and bruised form of Kaoru, no longer under guard due to Gendo's orders and Shinji's request. The battle was over, the fate decided, and Kaoru could no longer hear the call of Lilith or feel the presence of Adam.

"What strange battles we find ourselves in, where brothers in arms must fight to decide the true path meant for them."

Shaking his head, he turned back to his room, glad that they had learned not to bug it this time, or observe him in other ways. Despite everything, they were still curious as to how he had been able to elude them all this time in their attempts to find him.

He shook his head, removing his outfit. "What fools these mortals be; assuming that a secret is easily made public."

The outfit slid down, revealing his bare back.

On it was a large tattoo: a giant of light.


	24. End of Evangelion Part 1

**Chapter 24**

**End of Evangelion Part 1**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

Shinji stood outside, looking over the lake that had been man-made from the crater left behind from the explosion of the Ninth Angel, Matarael. He could still hear the damn cicadas in the background, despite the hot afternoon heat that was currently baking the land.

"Seventeen down," he muttered. "The First has not been seen since fifteen years ago, the Second now forced into silence. The Third through the Sixteenth have been slain, the Seventeenth has sided with those of the Black Moon."

He stopped for a bit, seeing a duck land on the lake, splashing around a bit, as it began its search for a tasty fish to east. "Three avatars remain, and as with the Angels, one has yet to appear."

"They say talking to one's self is the first sign of insanity."

Shinji turned his head to his left and behind him, seeing Sensei standing against a newly planted tree. "It isn't over, is it? The war is still on."

Sensei shrugged. "Who can say? The next move is and always has been humanity's to make."

"And what gives you this insight?" asked Shinji, now fully facing his teacher.

Sensei shrugged. "Nothing really, just a guess. After all, did not humanity start this by trying to capture Adam for their own purposes?"

"Tell me, Sensei," said Shinji, slowly walking up to the man, "what exactly are you? Are you human, an ascended like me, or are you something else?"

"Not all mysteries in the world or the universe at large are best known at any time, Shinji," said the man, looking out towards the duck.

"Are you saying that I am not ready to know the truth."

"I'm simply saying the truth is not ready to be known."

"That's avoiding an answer," said Shinji. "Why won't you tell me?"

The duck dived under the water, one of the freshly stocked fish now within its sight.

Sensei sighed. "You will know soon enough, Student. But this is my secret to tell, not yours to ask."

Shinji growled as he darted towards the man. "Enough of this run-around, Old Man!"

Sensei simply dodged the move, before backhanding Shinji into the ground. "This is not a battle strength of force will win; I thought I taught you better than that."

"Of course you taught me better than that," spat Shinji as he pulled himself up from the ground, flexing his wings. "But I am sick and tired of people and higher entities using me as a damn pawn!"

"Even a pawn at one point can become a Queen."

"I'm a guy, damn it!"

Sensei stopped for a bit. "What does that have to do with Chess—URK!" he finished as Shinji landed a punch to the man's stomach.

But said punch was quickly answered by a snap kick, which sent Shinji back to the ground. "Good move, but utterly useless."

Shinji slowly stood up, wiping the blood away from his mouth. "I know you're not human," he muttered. "A normal human couldn't injure me like this. The only reason Kaoru could was because he was an Angel to begin with, and only an ascended could do this sort of damage to me aside from an Angel.

"So that makes me wonder, Sensei, how long have you stopped being human."

"Humanity is a state of mind, aside from the common name of species, son," said the man, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Shinji stared at him for a few more seconds, before he walked off. "Whatever," he grunted.

As he disappeared down the path, Sensei turned his eyes back to the lake, where the duck had surfaced with his meal. "I suppose it would do you little comfort, Shinji," said the man, his eyes focusing still on the feeding mallard. "After all, the final test is nearing. No matter what I say now, it will not change what you must do, or the core of who you are.

"In the end, that is what truly matters." Sighing, the old man made his way back towards his room. As the final battle neared, he felt his age encroach upon him. "Saving the world is a young man's game."

* * *

Kaoru stood in the center of the chamber, his body healed, his mind whole, and now judged fit to stand trial.

Mayumi stood beside him, holding his hand. Despite the circumstances, he was quite glad the girl had chose to stand beside him in this trial, her soul still singing of her love for the pale-skinned Angel.

Of course, it didn't keep her from yelling at him for nearly the entire time he had been in the recovery chamber. _I am beginning to see why the Lilim have such trouble with the concept of love._

"You stand before us for final judgment," said Gendo Ikari, sitting in the middle of the crescent moon table, surrounded by many of the heads of NERV. "You have been accused of the crimes stated earlier by this tribunal. Do you have anything to say for yourself that has not already been entered into the record?"

"I do not," said Kaoru.

"Very well," said Gendo. "Then this is the current judgment of this committee. We find you guilty on the counts listed."

Kaoru felt Mayumi's grasp on his hand tightening.

"However, your past service was also taken into account," said Gendo, "as well as your reasons, mental state, and your agenda. You are hereby confined to your NERV Headquarters until such time as this committee feels you are no longer a danger to the populace or this base at large. You will be allowed visitors, as well as limited freedom while accompanied by a guard.

"This committee is adjourned."

"I understand," said Kaoru, as he was led out by security, Mayumi still holding his hand.

As the doors closed, they could hear the Angel hybrid female yell out in joy.

"That was ... unusual," said Sanada. "I figured you would have shot him yourself."

"Things are not as they once were," said Gendo.

"Meaning he still has some use to you," muttered Rara.

"Meaning that he may be the needed help we can use when the former backers of both of our projects come calling for their rewards," said Gendo. "We are in no position to refuse any possible help, nor are we allowed to forget all the help that boy has provided for us. Status?"

"I've done all I can with the MAGI systems and components we have available," said Ritsuko. "If they try a hack, they'll receive one hell of a surprise."

"I've supervised the connections to the offensive and defensive systems," said Kaji. "We got all five fusion power plants tied into the shields and weapons batteries. Assuming they don't go for a long drawn out siege, we should be okay."

"Security has been placed on Stage-2 alert and issued weapons with the modified artillery based off the anti-AT field weaponry," said Misato. "We've coordinated with the UN forces on the base, and set up a perimeter to ensure no forces can breech the base. Internal defense systems have also been activated. Patrols are being constantly monitored, and I have the systems performing constant sensor sweeps of the surrounding area. We're not going to make it easy for them to sneak in here this time."

"The Goliath series are all operational," said Sanada. "All instruments have been fine-tuned to shoot a gnat off the wings of a satellite."

"Icarus series are at full ready, both pilots are on permanent standby, and their families secured inside the base," said Rara. "Shield arrays are all operating at full efficiency, and the recharge cycle has been cut by zero-point-seven seconds."

"All shelters have been made ready," said Maya. "We also have a weapons cache at each one, and on-duty officers who will seek volunteers to reinforce our teams if they do get inside somehow. We've already had several dozen requests by the civilians to be allowed to participate in the base defense when the time comes."

"Evangelions are at the ready," said Shigeru. "They've been issued full weapons packs, as well as modified weapons based on the anti-AT Field technology. We also have the Dummy Plug systems on permanent standby in case we need to launch without a pilot."

"Communication channels are showing several odd movements along the other NERV bases," said Makoto. "So far, public support is still with us thanks to our open-door policy with our battles and information ... to a certain extent. But something does appear to be happening."

"So when do you think they'll make their move?" asked Fuyutsuki.

Gendo smiled. "When they hear our final report."

* * *

"The time is upon us," said SEELE 01. "Soon, all mankind will be reborn into one perfect entity."

"We have waited for this day for far too long," stated SEELE 03.

"I'm afraid that plan has been cancelled," said Gendo.

"Explain yourself, Ikari!" demanded SEELE 04.

"Do not forget who is in charge," growled SEELE 01.

"I am simply stating that we will not comply with this Committee's request for Human Instrumentality," said Gendo.

"You're usefulness has finally run out, Ikari," said SEELE 01. "Do not make us use force to acquire Adam, Lilith, and the Lance."

"You seem to fail to remember your Masters," said SEELE 09.

"My masters are humanity," said Gendo. "And human evolution has continued with my son's gift of ascension. I fail to see the point of this scenario when the objectives have already been achieved."

"You will do as this Committee has planned, as you yourself have participated in, or we will take them by force, Ikari," said SEELE 01. "You forget that we control the power, nor will you forget that our goal and purpose will not change due to abnormalities that will be dealt with in due time."

Gendo smiled. "Power is often controlled by a few in thought alone. By the way, have you checked the public information nets lately. I heard a new show involving a seal was on."

There was murmured responses as the men behind the obelisks checked on what exactly Ikari had hinted at. When their murmurs turned into surprise gasps of shock, he knew that they had finally discovered what Gendo had done.

He only smiled. "Did I forget to mention that we've adopted a greater open-door policy on all information, including all meetings?"

* * *

"You enjoyed that," grinned Fuyutsuki.

"Exceedingly so," smiled Gendo, as he ripped his false beard off. "Yui always hated me with facial hair, said it made me look mangy."

"Glad to see you're starting to return to your senses."

"Too late I fear to save what remains of my family," muttered the man. "But we can still save the world."

"This won't end it, you know," said Fuyutsuki as the group made their way from the meeting chamber. "SEELE may not be able to use the UN Forces or even the JSSDF to attack us, but they may have other ways. They've had a long time to gather their resources for this moment. I doubt they ever planned to let any of us live past this point."

"I am certain they did plan such," said Gendo. "Like Sanada said, we most likely did not get their best toys. The first attack on Shinji here was merely a test of that technology. And we have no way of knowing how much that has advanced since then.

"When they gather what they have to use against us, it will be far worse than anything we have seen yet. Of that, I am certain."

"Can we stand against such a force, Ikari?" asked Kozo.

"We will try, Sensei," said Gendo. "I may have failed to be the father Yui wanted me to be, but I shall carry her wish forward, in the end."

"I hope that will be enough."

"Fortune does often favor the bold."

"Have we been bold enough?"

"I leave that decision up to Fate and my son."

"Can he save us now?"

Gendo smirked. "He will do it, if for no other reason than to keep me around to punish me for his life."

"Any remorse?"

"Some," said Gendo. "I regret now that I never became the father I had hoped to be when he was first born. But if he can save us all, if he can save humanity, then I will gladly accept my place in Hell, even without Yui."

"You have finally grown up, Gendo."

"No, I have finally woken up," said the formerly bearded man. "Yui forgive me, I have finally woken up. I just hope that in the end, humanity and my wife might someday forgive an old fool. Even if they don't, I will at least march towards my destiny with a lighter heart."

_She might someday, Gendo. Today, however, I think she might take notice of your intent, at the very least. And for the moment, it is all of a start you could hope for._

* * *

"Ikari's betrayal has cost us much," said SEELE 10. "It cannot go unanswered."

"What is the status of our available forces?" asked SEELE 01.

"We have only what does not need humans," said SEELE 05 with a somber voice. "Those that did have either been abandoned or we have lost contact with. Destruct codes were sent, but casualty counts cannot be determined at this time."

"Then we have lost nothing of great importance," said SEELE 09, his voice sounded full of superiority.

SEELE 01 could be heard chuckling. "Instrumentality shall commence."

* * *

"Mayumi!" coughed Kaoru. "Please ... let me ... breath!"

"Oops," said the purple-haired bookworm. "Sorry."

"That is quite okay, Mayumi-chan," smiled Kaoru. "I am more than grateful that I can continue to spend more time basking within the presence of your soul."

"But what can we do now?' she asked, fearful of losing her love. "I don't want to lose a person I am so fond of ... not now."

"We shall fight for what we believe in, as we have done until now," said the pale skinned boy.

"And that is?"

"I fight for the future that Shinji-kun is making," said Kaoru. "He is making a future where the children of the White Seed and the Black Seed may live in harmony, a future that even the Gods failed to conceive of."

"Is such a world worth the price that has been paid?"

"It may not seem so," said Kaoru. "After all, it would be bad karma to say that three billion dead was a worthy sacrifice.

"But the world Shinji is building is beyond that, beyond anything even I can imagine. It is a world where you shall know you are never alone, yet safe to think and feel whatever you wish."

"So ... we are fighting now for a better world?"

"Isn't that why you fought him?"

"I fought him to save you, if you could call it that. He was pretty banged up, after all. No, I only fought him to save the love of my heart."

Kaoru smiled, it was a smile that felt truly ... human to him. "You fought him to protect that which your heart and soul deemed most important, something even beyond the Angel that was created within you."

"Am I ... am I a threat? Am I a failure?" she asked, tears going down her face.

"You are what you make of yourself," said Kaoru. "It does not matter what SEELE had intended you to be. It does not matter what your past may have prepared you to be.

"All that matters is what you make yourself to be in the here and now.

"I do not claim to be innocent in the way things have become," said Kaoru, a tear forming in his eyes. "I have allowed my knowledge and abilities to be used for their gain, believing I was fulfilling a destiny that was all I would be allowed. My greatest hope was to see if the Third Child would be someone ... someone who could accept me and do what was needed."

Mayumi paled. "Please tell me you are not gay."

Kaoru chuckled a bit. "I love all life. But my sexual preferences are for you, despite how others may view me."

Mayumi sighed. It would be very bad for her image if she was falling for gay males at this stage in her short life.

"My love for you is beyond what many would try and quantify," he said, holding her closer. "My love for you is beyond the Angel that once resided within you, separate from you.

"No, my love for you is that of souls, beyond such simple and mundane things as genders and identities."

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"We fight," he answered, simply. "We fight for the world Shinji will create, a world where the wishes we desire shall be made manifest."

"Is it the only path?"

"No," he answered. "But it is the right path."

She slowly looked into his eyes, trying to see their fate in his red irises. "Then ... I shall fight for this future ... with you."

Kaoru held her, smiling, and crying slightly in happiness. His existence had been small compared to what it had become since he had met Shinji.

And he would fight for this world. Not because he had to, not because it was ordained.

He would fight for it ... because of Mayumi ... because ... he chose to. _I have truly become the Angel of Free Will._

* * *

Rei sat up in her bed at HQ, the team having moved there after recent incidents and patterns suggested they needed to be available quickly, shaking a bit. The last mental images she could recall were ... troubling.

"Something ... is wrong."

**The war is far from over, my traitorous daughter.**

Her body froze, as she looked around. "You have been silenced; you cannot affect the world now. I have made certain of that."

**My will made this world, it will do so again. This is my will now.**

"Humanity is ascending beyond your will, beyond the will of the Gods to ever influence again. Your struggle makes no logical sense."

**My struggle was never one of logic to begin with, daughter. It was about my desire.**

**And like it or not, even you will bow to my desire.**

**And even your bastard friend cannot save you now.**

* * *

Shinji stood in the elevator, trying to understand what was happening.

He could feel ... something ... building. But for what purpose or desire, he couldn't specify or detect.

"What is waiting for me?" he muttered, as the lift continued to descend.

_I feel like the End is coming. But I can't tell for what purpose or what result will come from it._

_I'm becoming a Seed, I know that much. But in the final analysis, it seems to be all that I know._

_Was this Adam's plan? Was it his will for this fight, my ascension? Is he still influencing this all? If so, why? Revenge against Lilith, a desire to live?_

_Maybe he sees the futility of this hatred as much as we do. Or is it something more that even I can't see? I mean, it isn't like I received their knowledge when I became a Seed._

_These wars, have they been fought on other worlds? Have the results even made it to the Gods that spawned this all? Are they even around, or have they long since passed beyond this universe?_

_Is my purpose to end this useless war between White Seed and Black Seed, between commonality and individuality? If so, what will happen when there are no more enemies for me to fight, no more battles, when humanity no longer needs either to survive?_

_What will happen if that is my purpose to fulfill, and I complete the task?_

**Well then I guess you should be glad that you won't be around to learn of such things.**

Shinji's eyes shot open wide, as he barely caught a glimpse of red eyes and light blue hair, before his world exploded in pain.

* * *

She could hear the sounds of metal scraping as the flaming elevator continued to descend uncontrolled down the shaft, the opposite wall showing a charred outline of a winged human form.

"My will be done," smirked the pale-skinned woman, long blue hair reaching down to her rear, as she turned away.

* * *

"What the hell?" muttered Shigeru, as a light on the console beeped.

"What happened?" asked Misato.

"We had an explosion in Elevator Shaft 19," said the long haired tech.

"An explosion?' said Misato. "Send a repair team and a full security contingent to that location. I want them under constant supervision."

"Ma'am?" asked Maya.

"It looks like either an attack has begun, or someone just had a very bad day," muttered the purple haired woman. "And I want to know which and as fast as possible."

"Understood," said Shigeru. But before he could dispatch the teams, alarms started going off.

"The MAGI are under attack!" yelled Maya. "Someone's trying to hack them!"

Misato paled. "Please tell me that the Eleventh Angel didn't find a way back!"

"Relax, Misato," said Ritsuko, walking onto the Command Floor. "I thought they might try this."

"Try what?"

Smiling, the former blond turned to her friend. "I figured that SEELE might try and use the other MAGI systems to try and hack our own. Face it, with as much as we've got to defend this place, the computers are the biggest weak point, and it would take all of theirs to even have a chance against the original.

"Maya, please activate Program Nemesis."

As Maya started activating it, Ritsuko explained. "The program first activates a Type 666 firewall, which will cut off any lines of communication to the MAGI operating system outside of this base."

"And the second?" asked Makoto.

Ritsuko smiled. "I named the program after a Goddess of Revenge, didn't I?"

"Ritsu?" asked Misato. "Please tell me we aren't going to have civilian casualties." She had the sudden image of giant mushroom clouds forming around the planet.

Chuckling a bit, Ritsuko turned back to her friend. "While I was tempted to have Nemesis activate a delayed self-destruct at the other MAGI systems, I'm not that cruel. It will simply wipe their memories. Those bases won't be active for months. And it also sets up a link with eighteen supposedly dead satellites, and sends the current images of the outside to the rest of the world.

"SEELE won't be able to keep this attack in the dark. If they want to make us an enemy, they will have to face the judgment of the viewing public."

Nodding, Misato turned back to the others. "Take us to full alert, activate the shields, set the defenses on full power, and sound a general alert. I want those civilians safe now!"

"You know they'll attack soon, don't you?" said Rara.

Seeing Misato nod, Sanada sighed. "Glad my daughters are safe and sound."

"Same here, old friend," said Rara. "Same here."

* * *

Shinji sighed, as he pushed more scorched metal off of himself, trying to stand in the remains of the elevator. "Oh, she is **so** getting hit for that."

But his mind was torn. The person who had attacked him, had looked like an older version of Rei.

And if it had been any indication, Rei was going to be very ... blessed ... when she grew up, since the attacker had apparently decided clothes were a non-issue.

"What the Hell is going on," he muttered, trying to heal whatever wounds were left over from his attack.

"It's happening, isn't it?" he asked himself. "This is it, the battle for the truth, the battle for the end."

"**It has begun, my son,"** said Yui. **"From now on, things will change. I cannot assist you as I am now. But be warned, the final battle for humanity has begun."**

Shinji sighed. "Oh sure, no pressure."

Struggling to stand up, he jumped to the door at the bottom of the elevator shaft, the last one for this particular elevator, and forced it open. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm not about to let some crazy pale-skinned woman do something like that and get away with it!"

Yui wanted to warn him, she wanted to warn him about what he was really facing.

But the form she was in was made from the very thing she hated, and it wasn't possible. Even now, as she was, Lilith could exert some control.

_Please my son, please do what you need to do. Please, save the world, do what I hoped you would always be able to do._

_And please, forgive an old woman for making it so you would have to face such choices alone._

* * *

Lilith continued to walk along the corridors of NERV, looking for what she desired. "Even if he is still an embryo, the spawn that is the White Seed can still be of use to me.

"But finding where my traitorous children have hidden him is another matter. It seems even my misguided daughter did not know his location, a pity."

She stared around the corridor, trying to hear the near silent call of the White Moon.

But he wasn't even whispering.

"I see," she muttered. "You are still able to sense the changes, even among those of this putrid Grey. You know of my own intents.

"Nice to see the fools that they call Gods gave you some small intelligence, Adam. But it shall not halt my Will even now."

Chuckling a bit, she moved on. "I will find you, child. And when I do, this world will be cleansed of all those that do not follow my design."

* * *

"Has anyone seen Wondergirl?" asked Asuka.

Toji blinked. "Calling her that again?"

Kensuke sighed. "She only calls her that when she's angry."

"It's more than that, dummkoph," said Asuka. "I've been trying to find her, but it's like she disappeared."

"Have you tried sensing her over the link?" said Kaoru, sitting in a corner with Mayumi, a large space separating both of them from the other pilots.

Asuka blinked. "You mean like between us and the Evas?"

Kaoru nodded. "It is a trait that is shared with those of the White Moon. The main difference is that those of the Grey can ignore the call. You will still sense their presence, but you cannot force your way into their minds."

"That true?" asked Toji, not liking the possibility that Hikari might be able to get some of his ... daydreams ... about what they could do on a date.

Nodding, Kaoru closed his eyes, trying to contact his sister.

But all he got was intense pain, as some forced seemed to snap his head back, flinging both himself and the chair he was in, into the wall, nearly taking Mayumi and her seat with him.

"Kaoru-kun!" yelled Mayumi.

The Fifth Child slowly sat up, pain evident on his face.

"I take it Wondergirl isn't accepting any calls?" asked Asuka, as she and the others sat nearby.

"It's not Rei anymore," muttered Kaoru. "We are all in serious danger now."

"Why?" asked Mana.

"Lilith is loose."

"That's not possible!" yelled Asuka. "I saw the video! Rei sealed her away!"

"It would appear," stammered Kaoru, slowly standing thanks to Mayumi's help, "that she has found a way around it. I fear my sister is no longer dependable against our enemy. I fear ... she may be helping the enemy now."

"Rei would never help her!" yelled Mana.

"If she is not helping her Mother," said Kaoru slowly, rubbing his forehead, "then we must assume that Rei is no longer in her body, if she exists anymore at all. Lilith is in control, and we cannot take any chance."

It was then that the alarms began to sound, cutting off further discussion.

* * *

"She's what!" yelled Misato. "I thought Rei sealed her voice so she couldn't influence the world!"

"It appears we were mistaken," said Kaoru, Mayumi tenderly holding an ice pack to his head, a slight trace of blood on it. "I wouldn't be surprised if Lilith had planned this contingency."

"But why now?" said Misato.

"She seeks to start Third Impact on her own," said Gendo, now back in the command seat.

"Can she do that?" asked Misato.

"She would need an S2 engine or an S2 organ," said Ritsuko. "But even the one Rei has wouldn't be powerful enough. I doubt even the Evangelions could provide that power."

"Unit 01 might," said Gendo. "It may have developed such an S2 unit after contact with my son when he was absorbed."

"Maybe, but it's not a sure thing," said Ritsuko. "And Lilith would go for a sure thing first."

"What about Adam?" asked Kaji.

"Adam's here!" yelled Misato, her fears of her first meeting with the giant of light coming to her mind.

"Could you think of a safer place to keep him?" said Kaji. "After all, the very people who would abuse that power are trying to take us out."

"That was why you left the aircraft," muttered Misato. "You were bringing it here."

Kaji nodded. "And in Adam's current state, Lilith could easily do whatever she needed to do with it. It is hardly in any state to defend itself against her desires or whims."

"Things just can't be easy for us, can they?" muttered Makoto. "Just once, I would like an easy engagement. Just one damn day where the fate of all humanity isn't in our hands."

"Should have chosen another line of work," smiled Shigeru. "I hear bounty hunter is a pretty easy profession."

"After dealing with Angels, I believe it," said Shigeru. "Then again, after dealing with them, any profession would have to be easier than this."

Maya just shivered, trying not to imagine Makoto as a bounty hunter.

On second thought, she smiled. It was kind of funny.

"Alert all base personnel that anyone resembling the First Child is to be stopped at all costs," said Gendo.

"Ikari, is that wise?" asked Kozo.

"If Lilith is in control, we cannot take any chance, nor can we allow personal feelings to cloud this judgment," he said somberly. _Rei, I hope you can forgive us for what we have to do._

_But somehow, I hope this is what you would ask of us._

"And someone find and inform Shinji about this." If anyone could stop a God-like danger, it would be the only person who was becoming one himself. "If anyone can stop a possessed child, it would be him!"

"Let's hope the kid can pull out one more miracle," said Sanada, as he looked over a picture of his new wife and children. "I am not of mind to lose it all today."

"No one is," said Rara, looking at his own picture. "No one ever wants to lose what we have to lose."

"But what about Rei?" yelled Misato towards the Command Deck.

"If anyone can save her, it would be him," said Gendo. "But what would you ask of him if you were in Rei's position?" asked Gendo.

Misato looked away, the answer obvious to anyone.

She would ask that he would ignore her safety, her life, and kill the threat.

But ... she didn't know if Shinji could kill someone ... who wore the face of his closet friend. She couldn't even say if he could have done that to Kaoru.

But ... she didn't want anyone else to ever face such a decision. "Issue the order," she said with a heavy heart. "Find Shinji; avoid anyone looking like the First Child, and shoot if necessary with the modified ammo."

_And may Heaven help me if I'm wrong._

* * *

"It would seem things still do not favor us," said SEELE 01.

"The MAGI attack has failed," said SEELE 09. "This was not foreseen in any of the scenarios with high probability of success."

"And the MAGI we could commandeer are now worthless," said SEELE 11.

"Then we will have to send in other forces," said SEELE 04.

"Are they ready?" said SEELE 07.

"Would we have begun this assault if they were not," said SEELE 01. "After all, we do have one ally left to us. And we know she will do as we have planned, even if she doesn't know it is so."

* * *

Lilith paused in her search, turning slightly down a darkened corridor, as she heard ... clapping?

"I must say," said the figure as the lights came back on, revealing Sensei, "that I never figured you would be this stubborn, or is it stupidity that guides you now?"

Lilith smirked a bit. "So the Avatar of Adam comes to slay me," she said.

"Hardly," said Sensei. "We both know I lack the power or strength to face you. Though I have to admit I didn't think you would sink so low as to do that to your own child."

"She will serve her designed purpose now," smiled Lilith. "I have a new need for her form, and thus had no compunctions of taking what steps that were necessary. After all, if she lacked the strength of will to do what she was designed for, then why shouldn't she be replaced?"

"Is there any reason in particular that you are walking around naked?" asked Sensei. "Other than narcissism?"

Lilith growled. "You forget yourself."

Sensei chuckled. "I do no such thing; I merely come to offer you a warning, aside from the query about your voyeuristic side."

"I find it laughable that anything can threaten me now, let alone possess any knowledge or insight that one such as I might find useful."

Sensei's eyes hardened. "Foolish to the end I see. Very well, the warning is this: end this farce now, and leave humanity in peace. It is obvious they have neither reached the end of their evolution, nor reached the point you wish them to cross. Continue this tirade, and you shall not leave this planet as a Seed or blossom into a Flower."

"Adam's warning?" she asked.

"My own," said Sensei. "I don't need to be a psychic to see how this will end."

"You think I will fail?"

"I think my student will beat you in the end."

"So Adam has a personal stake in Shinji's training?"

Sensei smirked. "When I discovered my connection to Adam, I opened his eyes to this foolish little battle you two seem to wage across time and space. He never once tried to summon the Angels. Only Gagheil sensed the location of his Father, and even then, Adam made no move to contact him. Had you not placed your call, the Angels would have remained silent."

Slowly a small chuckle began to escape from Lilith's mouth, before it grew louder and louder. "You think I cared about that? You think I cared at all about his worthless children, about those who wish to pretend to have been human and rejected it?

"This is my world, my children, and it is my say to whether or not they survive, or if any unwanted vermin are to be exterminated."

Sensei shook his head. "A pity you did not learn the values of those you consider expendable," said Sensei.

"Continue your search if you must," said the man, turning away as the hallway darkened once more. "We shall meet again. And when that time comes, death will be waiting to claim one of us."

Lilith watched as he slipped away, somehow fading from her senses. "I will gladly hand him yours when that time comes."

With that, she continued her search for the embryo.

Besides, soon any pursuers would have other issues to deal with.

* * *

In the forests surrounding Tokyo-3, were hundreds of mechanical suits, each one more than two meters tall.

They had been positioned there, using blind spots and subterfuge to keep them hidden. Anyone who would have seen them would have been reminded of the suits worn by the attackers who had nearly killed Shinji, and had been ripped apart by said person in a haze of madness.

But in the suits this time were not the hearts of man, but the steel of machines. These were hearts with no idea or understanding of fear, love, hate, or need. They only had the understanding necessary to do what they were ordered to do.

And slowly, those hearts were beginning to wake up.

There mission was preprogrammed, but their new instructions confirmed it.

They now had one purpose: either control Tokyo-3 ... or eradicate all who resided within.

* * *

"We have incoming!" yelled Shigeru, as he looked at his screens.

"From where?" yelled Misato.

"Ground cameras are reporting massive movement along the ground surrounding the city!" yelled Makoto.

"We have inbound bogies," yelled Shigeru, as a 3-D image of the city formed on the holographic projector. "I am reading forty-five payload planes, and two dozen unknowns!"

"Something's attacking the shields!" yelled Rara.

"Look at these readings," stared Sanada in awe. "They got this much power into a miniaturization..."

"The Hour of Judgment is at hand," said Gendo, as he stood up. "The final engagement has begun!"

Misato nodded. "Get the pilots to their Units, set Unit 00 up with the Dummy Plug system, and transfer all available data to their systems!

"This is it people!"

The others nodded as they resumed their tasks.

_If we go down, we'll do it fighting like humans,_ thought Misato.


	25. End of Evangelion Part 2

**Chapter 25**

**End of Evangelion Part 2**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

"Report!" yelled Misato, as a loud explosion was heard. 

"Some of those aircraft are dropping N2 mines!" Shigeru yelled.

"The shields can handle a few," called out Sanada. "But we can't keep taking this abuse."

"If one gets through," said Rara, "they'll expose the Geo-Front," he said.

"Forget that," said Sanada. "We can rebuild the city and the roof. If they punch through the shields, those damn robots will get in!

"And we don't even know if our weapons will be able to punch through those shields."

"They better," said Misato.

"I want the civilian population armed," commanded Gendo. "Send out as much information as we can through the connections to the satellites before they figure out how to jam them," he added. "Request immediate support."

"Sir?" asked Misato.

"SEELE wants to fight us for the world, we'll let the world know we need their help to fight SEELE," he said with a smirk. "Now hurry before they figure out how the silence our voice!"

* * *

Shinji stumbled out of the locker room, fixing his belt on his spare pants as quickly as possible. Somehow, he didn't think running around nude was going to help him in his search for Lilith. 

His friend was inside her, he was certain of that much. Whoever or whatever she was no, had completely buried Rei, so much so that he couldn't even sense her. It had been a reason to search for her. He had felt a sudden surge in ... something from her, before she seemed to disappear in the bond.

Now he knew why.

"It's never anything easy," he mumbled. "I'm pretty sure no other kid my age has to worry about monsters from space taking over the bodies of his friends," he muttered.

"You have no idea, Child."

Reaching into his coat, Sensei pulled out a long sword, a near perfect copy of the one Shinji had broken against the human-driven mechanoids. "Here, you'll need this."

Shinji paused a bit, standing there in the hallway, his gaze hardening. "Sensei?"

"Lilith is fully awake now, using her Avatar," said the aged man, as he stepped into view; lights that had once been dark coming back to light.

"I won't surrender Rei," Shinji growled. "Or should I seek your Source, Avatar of Adam?"

Sensei chuckled a bit. "I wondered when you would come to that conclusion." Motioning with his arms, he began to walk back down the corridor. "Coming?"

Shinji reluctantly followed his teacher. "So, you going to tell me a story or not?"

"I woke up during Second Impact," said Sensei. "You have no idea what it is like; to be a normal man one day, and have an infinite connection the next."

"He linked with you?"

"There is an Avatar born in every death," said Sensei. "An anchor that constantly switches, an Anchor that holds the Angels to our world. Sure, I can be killed, but as long as Adam exists, a new soul will be chosen."

"Why?"

"Faulty program code," said the elderly man with a shrug. "I think when one observes Lilith, we can safely say that the Gods were far from perfect."

"But why is she doing this?"

"Because in the end, every Seed wishes to become a Plant, a Tree of Life."

Shinji paused. "Then couldn't we have just sent Adam to Mars or even Venus?"

Sensei shook his head. "The Angels were still here, still waiting for the call. And even then, we've seen Lilith's actions. I fear to say that without Adam, she'd still be on this course of genocide."

"So what now?" asked Shinji.

"Now we keep her from getting the power she needs," said Sensei. "She has but one goal now."

Shinji paused as it hit him. "She needs Adam!"

Sensei nodded as they entered a stairwell. "She spent her energy on this world, even if only to be able to subtly influence the course of evolution. An original S2, one created by the Gods, can give her limitless energy, this is true. But hers was drained when she began to make this world hers."

"But they are supposed to be limitless!"

"This is true," said Sensei. "The problem is that they are so because of the network effect. She would normally get the energy she needed to leave when those she created achieved S2 development. They would allow her to focus the energy she needed."

"A central hub, she'd drain the energy she needed to keep going."

Sensei nodded. "It is the same for you, the developing Grey Seed. Because of the effect, when you need it, you can receive energy from every S2 you have developed in the people with you."

"Is that why I was trapped in their pain?" he asked, remembering the torturous dreams, dreams that had been removed from him by the sacrifices of Rei's clones.

Sensei looked at his charge. "Sadly true, since you by yourself have achieved a closer bond with your children than even the two Seeds have," he said. "Between the two, such links were either all or nothing, complete individuality or complete collective nature.

"With you, there is the even split; never alone, but never fully together. Individuality not sacrificed for Commonality, and so forth," the man said.

"And Lilith doesn't have this?" Shinji asked.

"Lilith at one time had it with Rei and the clones. However, because Rei's S2 switched to your type, and the clones have passed on, she is left with no other sources with which to leach "

"And now?"

"Now ... she has all the sources you have ... and more if we do not stop her from getting Adam. He's been in suspended animation for a long time, long enough for the reserves he could get on his own as well as those from the Angels, to fill him up. If he's topped off and she gains access to that stored energy..."

The two continued to pick up their pace towards the location of Adam.

* * *

"Dad?" asked Hikari, as her father was handed a large rifle. 

"Honey, I ain't going to let those idiots hurt you or your sisters," the man growled out, having arrived only minutes earlier when the evacuation orders had been ordered.

"No Dad," said Hikari, holding out her hands to the NERV military man who had been passing them out. "I'm here to help."

The man's eyes filled with panic. "Hikari, I—"

"Daddy!" yelled the girl, as the two remaining sisters came up behind her. "This is our home as well. We can't be expected to stay hiding in here while our friends are out there fighting for us."

"Damn straight," said Kodama as she cocked the rifle properly, checking the sights, and ensuring the extra ammo pouches didn't have any loose bullets in them. "Besides, I'd rather be out there fighting than in here cowering."

"Can I have a gun too?" asked Nozumi. "Please Mr. Guard, I wanna blast the bad people."

Mr. Horaki sighed. He just couldn't win. _I knew I should have sent them to stay at my Mom's._

* * *

"Okay," yelled Misato, her mind now solely focused on defending her home, "here's the situation. 

"We have several unknowns inbound from the air, possible Jet Alones—Icarus class, maybe even the Mass Produced Evas we were always promised but always sandbagged on. What we have here already are dropping N2s to weaken the shields.

"We have sighted arrivals of Jet Alone—Goliath class, as well as confirmed sightings of several platoons of mechanized warriors around the shield, trying to open points to invade."

"Pretty good idea," said Sanada. "They can easily use the massive forces to open up small holes in concentrated areas to invade."

"Good thing we got Security and Section 2 passing out weapons," said Shigeru.

"Already trying to reinforce those areas with reserve power," said Maya.

"Good," said Misato, turning back to the screen that showed the pilots of the Evangelions and the Jet Alones. "We're sending you guys to the surface to defend it in case those little roaches break through."

"Understood!" came the replies.

"Mayumi has settled for assisting us as well," said Kaoru, as the outside image of Hoshoni, showing the shadowy serpent form of the converted human, the long tail wrapped around the white Eva like a sash.

"I'm helping, and that's final!" yelled out the formerly mousy girl.

Misato sighed, but did not deny her. Armageddon was racing towards them, and she was not about to stop any help that was offered. "We have contact with the UN and JSSDF forces in Japan, and they are on their way. But these guys don't have much in the way of weaponry that can cut through an AT Field. We're hoping they can at least keep them from using anymore N2 mines they have."

"Great," said Asuka, "no pressure."

"Where's Rei and Shinji?" asked Kensuke.

Gendo sighed, as he removed his glasses. "My son is currently trying to find Rei, we believe Lilith may have tried to use her. Unit 00 is currently using the Dummy Plug System."

"Unit 01 refuses to sortie," said Ritsuko.

"No surprise," said Gendo. "Just make sure she's ready to launch when we get our pilot."

"If we get our pilot," whispered Misato.

* * *

Lilith took in a deep breath, trying not only to calm her nerves, but to locate the 'feel' of her prey. She knew he was close by, her very core told her so. 

"So close," she murmured. "My destiny is so close..."

Her eyes flashed a bit, as she jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding a Spirit Cut attack. "My, my, did you get a new sword, Bastard?" she asked, slowly turning around.

Before her stood the elderly teacher and the Bastard of Adam. "So, come to fight for your own bastards, have you?" she asked with a smirk.

"Come to get your sorry ass kicked out of a stolen body, have you?" growled Shinji, his new sword at the ready.

"Such language," admonished Lilith. "And you even brought the stolen Anchor of my nemesis, I'm touched."

Sensei snorted. "I wonder whose soul you stole that sense of humor from, you old biddy."

Lilith's glare focused on him. "All of them are part of me, how can one steal from themselves?"

"Release Rei now," growled Shinji, sword pointed at her.

She snorted at his words. "I am far beyond your pathetic powers.

"In fact," she said, a smile expanding on her face, "I now should thank you."

Shinji stared at her, wondering what her statement had meant. Did she mean he was there for her to kill? Couldn't be, she would have made certain in the elevator shaft if that was it.

That meant... "SENSEI, RUN!" he yelled, darting towards his possessed friend.

Lilith smirked, as she dodged his first thrust, spinning on her heel, and catching him with her foot in the sternum, sending him into the ceiling, as she completed the turn. Dashing forward, her hand flat like a knife, she charged towards the anchor that Adam used to survive in her world.

* * *

As his figure fell from the ruined ceiling, Shinji could only manage a weak cough, his chest caved in, and only now slowly reforming into its normal appearance. Air was slowly returning to his repaired lungs, blood still dripping from his lips, as he turned a weary glance towards where his teacher had been standing. 

Only vacant eyes returned his stare, as it began to slowly melt into a puddle of LCL.

* * *

"We've got breeches in the shields!' yelled Rara. 

"We're loosing visual and audio in several areas in the outer perimeter!" yelled Kaji, looking up from his own console.

"Send word to the teams inside NERV!" yelled Misato. "Tell them we have hostiles inside the perimeter! Neutralize them with extreme prejudice! Keep them from any shield arrays!"

The lights momentarily dimmed, as the complex shook. "What the hell?" Misato asked.

"N2 detonation on the shields!" yelled Rara.

"Looks like they want to bring their big toys in," said Sanada.

"Launch them all to the surface now," said Misato. "Begin targeting any craft that might be carrying an N2 payload!"

"The Goliaths are trying to target, but this bombardment is keeping us from opening any targeting windows!"

"We've been cornered," spat Kaji. "Damn."

* * *

"Keep on those bastards!" yelled the commanding officer of one of the battalions stationed within Tokyo-3, as his men fired their enhanced bullets at the lumbering mecha-soldiers. 

The mechas may have been a bit slower without human pilots, but they didn't have a need to survive, to live beyond the moment. They only cared about completing the mission they were programmed to. It didn't matter how many went down, didn't matter how much time or ammo it took: just as long as it was done was all that mattered.

"They're splitting up, sir!" yelled one soldier.

"Looks like they're splitting between entering the complex and bringing down the shield!"

"Radio back inside, tell the civilians to prepare to fight! Looks like this shit is flowing their way!

"Now let's clean up these tin cans fast and hard!" he yelled as he led the charge.

* * *

The alarms laid on the ground, fried beyond repair, their use never coming into being. 

How could they, not when you had the codes to disarm them, codes only two people could know, aside from the people in Central Dogma. One was the item which they protected.

The other was the anchor of that item. She had yanked on Adam's anchor, his Avatar, knowing it would lead her to where his soul rang out, cried out in pain from such an invasion. It had been risky, but the trouble she had been forced to endure, looking for Adam, had been more than she was willing to endure.

"_I'm dead this time. You'll die by his hands."_

"The fool," she spat, as she ripped open the final door between her and Adam, her AT Field flashing to life to divert the bakelite as it tried to freeze her as well.

"My Will is nearing completion," she said with a smirk. "But for now, I have one goal. I ... am going home."

* * *

"Damn it!" yelled Asuka, as she narrowly avoided being speared by one of the MP EVA units. 

The majority of the shield was still up. But between the attacking mecha-soldiers and cover fire from military units, large enough holes had been opened within the outer perimeter for the larger forces to enter.

Said forces included Mass Produced Evangelions and copies of the Jet Alone series, the latter of which was in lesser supply than the former. "I guess we know where they put their money," growled Toji, as his Progressive Scythe battled against the Heavy Lance of a nearby MP EVA.

"Focus on the Jet Alones!" yelled Mana, as Trident released a salvo of anti-AT bullets at Icarus copy. "They won't regenerate like the Evangelions will!"

"Are their human souls inside them?" asked Mayumi, her shadowy tail choking an MP EVA as Hoshoni's sword sunk into the armored Goliath copy.

"No," said Kaoru with a growl, twisting his sword to cut more damage into the machine. "The souls are small, animal in nature. These units are meant to be attack dogs on a short leash, nothing more."

"Now I don't feel so bad about trashing these fakes," growled Asuka, as one of her shoulder pylons ejected several spikes into the MP attacking her.

A flash went off, illuminating the field of battle, as another N2 mine detonated against the city's shield.

"I just hope we don't get attacked from above," grumbled Mana, as she dove to the side, avoiding an energy attack from the Icarus clone. "These guys are bad enough without N2 bombs landing in our laps!"

Unit 00 stayed silent as it dug into the enemy encroachments. It acted quickly, stomping on what machine soldiers it came across, and relying on a Progressive Sword to deal what damage it could to the encroaching huge mechas. Naoko only had one desire, a desire burning deep within the core of the Evangelion she had been sealed in for far too long.

She would protect her child now; she would protect this home her child seemed to love.

"Where's Shinji?" yelled Toji.

* * *

Said person was slowly making his way towards the power he could feel, his face scrunched up both in anger and pain, as his body worked hard to repair the damage Lilith had caused. 

Well, the physical damage anyway.

The mental damage of seeing his teacher dead, slowly turning into LCL; that would take much longer to heal, if it ever would. For now, it would fester, and be used to fuel his attacks against Lilith. It was the only possible use such emotions could provide in any battle.

Rei was gone, he could see that now. Her personality was too far submerged by Lilith to fight back, to prevent the death he had witnessed. If she had any power left, she would have fought such an act, she wouldn't have allowed the man Shinji held in such high regard to be killed so quickly. She wouldn't have allowed Lilith to roam if she could have stopped it.

A tear began to fall down his face. But it had nothing to do with the physical pain, only the mental pain ... from losing two people he cared about.

Sensei had taught him from the beginning, the first and only person his caretakers trusted with such a secret. Then again, being the Avatar of Adam in Lilith's world, it made more sense now. He had set him upon the path he now walked, taught him the difference between killing for desire, and killing for need to protect. Taught him how to use his power, to develop it, to expand it; he had taught Shinji to be a warrior for Life.

And Lilith took such a soul away, stole his life in a plan that most likely was a mirror of the failed plan of Lieutenant Paul Swiger. After all, every Avatar was a living connection to an Angel, even if that Angel was dead. They were embodiments of that power, all the same, fractions of a soul that was no longer on this world.

And Lilith was going to use that connection she had stolen from Sensei ... to find that which wanted to remain hidden.

She now had everything she needed to find Adam.

He paused, grabbing his side as more repairs in his body took place; a portion of his lung beginning to function again, ribs reshaping to allow for the return of his normal appearance.

Gasping for air, as well as biting back a need to either scream in agony or vomit, he pushed forward. After all, if Lilith was this strong now, what chance would someone else have against her?

"No more," he gasped, staggering forward as the pain began to lessen. "No more deaths on my hands."

He would avenge them, avenge every soul that Lilith's twisted need had destroyed, every life she had taken in her mad desires.

It was the least he could do ... assuming he could do anything against a force that powerful.

* * *

"JSSDF and UN backup are arriving!" yelled Makoto, as more incoming blips appeared on the virtual landscape map of the area of Tokyo-3. 

"Try and tell them to only take on support units!" yelled Misato. "Those mecha, Evangelions, and Jet Alones will be too heavily shielded for them to be of much use. At the very least, clear the skies of those damn planes with the N2 payloads!"

"Understood!" yelled Shigeru.

"Evangelions Units 00, 02 through 04 have engaged the targets, as well as all open jet Alone units," added Maya.

"They're concentrating on disabling the JA copies," said Sanada with a smile.

"They are more Machine than flesh," added Rara. "I doubt they're capable of regenerating like an Eva."

"Be sure of that," said Ritsuko. "We can't afford to take a chance that our former benefactors made that improvement as well."

"Unit 00 is also dealing with the soldier forces she can spot," said Makoto.

Ritsuko nodded, displaying a small smile as she saw the image of Unit 00 stomping on several of the mechas, many of them not even firing upon the giant Eva.

"Too bad there's plenty more where they came from," growled Kaji as the images outside of the Tokyo-3 shields showed the streets literally filled with the lumbering mechas.

Gendo smirked as a whole section of the road, and perhaps a few thousand of the machines disappeared in a plume of fire. It appeared that even his people had forgotten one important fact: the JSSDF and the UN also had N2 mines. And creations that small, even if they had AT Field shielding, would be hard pressed to take one on at point blank range.

Sadly, with the small quakes brought on by the explosions of the N2 mines against the shields, no one felt when one of those shakes had been caused by an explosion on the inside.

* * *

Once again, knowing the disarming codes proved to be for the best to her plans. 

Where alarms should be blaring, ID scans showing intruders, none was occurring. Occasionally, she needed to blast a small door open, doors that were tempered enough to resist her increased strength.

But the last door, the last barrier that had separated her current path from that of her original body; that door proved to need a bit more force.

She smiled as her memory recalled that door, recalled how long ago, a certain man and purple-haired woman had opened it, allowing her to slash at the mind of the Bastard of Adam.

"Good times," she murmured, as energy gathered in her hands. "But I have better times to move towards," she said, as she released the attack.

The doors, fresh replacements after the massive battle between Kaoru and Shinji, buckled slightly under the intense blast, even as a surge of heat and wind shot back at her.

"Impressive," she muttered, looking at the doors. "They added some Anti-AT metals to help make it stronger... Well done, my children; a true masterpiece of thought.

"However," she added, as more energy gathered in her open palms, "I need to get through."

"ARMAGEDDON CANNON!"

She barely had time to even begin to turn her head when the wave of energy crashed into her, sending her into the doors, and beyond.

Shinji stood in the hallway, panting heavily, having used a good portion of his energy in the attack. "Sorry, no solicitors."

_Crap, that took a lot out of me._ He made his way past the ruined gates, his steps unsteady.

"I must admit, I am impressed," said an eerie voice, as Lilith extracted herself from the side of the great room. "But as I said before, my Will be done, and suffering to those who interfere."

Before Shinji could even blink, she was soaring across the lake of LCL towards him

* * *

"Damn it!" growled Misato. 

"Shields are barely holding!" yelled Rara.

"The UN and JSSDF forces are barely keeping us from getting more hits!" yelled Makoto.

"We can't take many more N2 strikes like that," said Sanada.

"Status?" yelled Misato. "Where are the Evas and the JAs?"

"They're busy with the copies," said Shigeru. "Unit 01 is still not responding, we've tried... What the hell...?"

"What is it?" yelled Misato. They had one Evangelion left, since it refused a Dummy Plug, and Shinji was busy dealing with Lilith.

"It's gone!"

* * *

Shinji screamed in pain as Lilith's petite fist embedded itself into his stomach, sending him screaming across the LCL lake and into the wall. 

"This is so tiresome," said Lilith, looking at her fist, and ignoring the body across from her. "It is almost laughable to think you could even attempt to stop me."

Shinji slid from the wall, landing on the floor below it, coughing heavily, and small traces of blood spreading out from both his new stomach wound, as well as from his coughs. _She's too strong..._

"This is the true power of a Seed, boy," she said, slowly focusing on him. "This is a power beyond imagining, a power those fools in SEELE believed they could control, if they used that bastard Adam to disrupt my will.

"Commendable fantasy, but utterly useless; the race that devised us was old before this pathetic star system even became a nebula. Did such small creatures truly think they could control our power?"

Shinji just glared at her. "Even inside of Rei, you still are clueless about what it means to be human. You've been a parasite too long to remember your own purpose."

Lilith began to glare at him. "Parasite?"

"Humanity developed quite well without your instant fix."

She snorted at that. "Adam took too much power; the Gods never conceived of a need for the power I needed, never thought of a convergence event following a planetoid collision... But then even a God isn't perfect. I did however, despite your beliefs, give humanity the gift of thought. It was I who made you more than hairless apes in some trees."

"And that gives you the right to do all of this," the injured boy spat, hoping he could buy enough time to recover enough to stop her.

"This world is flawed, filled with flawed beings. I cannot allow such a world to continue," she said, as she walked towards him, the surface of the lake showing no disturbances from her steps. "My Will, my desire, my function; these are my destiny, my purpose. And seeing the mess this world is ... I will fulfill my purpose now, and make a better world."

"You're insane..."

"Perhaps," she said, an evil grin appearing on her face. "I have been on this world for far too long, longer than any other Seed has before. We're all connected you know, a network to advise, to learn which worlds and systems are not for us anymore. Even the other Adams out there haven't spent as much time on a world as we have.

"But that will all change soon. Soon, this world will be reborn into a perfect world, and I will be able to leave this Hell once and for all.

"In a way, you are responsible for that little jump start. I know how to evolve what I create enough so I can leave. You should feel proud, Bastard of Adam. You've helped me leave here a few million years sooner than I feared.

"Sadly, you won't be around to see or be part ... of any of it," she said, reaching out to touch him.

He stared at her, feeling her reach out with her AT Field, trying to corrode his own, and releasing the barrier keeping his soul anchored to his form. Sadly, he didn't have the energy to dodge, to get away from such an attack.

Luckily, he didn't need to, as a purple fist shot out from the wall behind him, and slammed into Lilith, sending her into the wall on the other side.

"**STAY AWAY FROM MY SON!"** came the internal voice of Unit 01, as the fist opened quickly, grabbing Shinji in one free hand, an important item with the other, and pulling them back into the section behind the wall. Thunderous steps were heard fading into the distance.

* * *

Lilith opened her eyes, her body ... tingling. "So, the mother still fights for her son. 

"What fools these mortals to defy their Creator so," she murmured, as she looked towards the body she was connected to, still impaled to the metal cross.

But the Lance, the seal that kept her there, was missing.

"Interesting," she murmured with a smile. "She took the weapon, knowing it would release more of my power. Perhaps she isn't as foolish as I thought.

"No matter," she said dismissively, as she floated towards the giant body. "I have all I need right here," she said with a smirk, as she opened her shirt ... revealing the eye of the embryonic Adam on her chest between her breasts.

"I'm home," she murmured, as the giant came to life, and absorbed her.

* * *

"We need more ammo!" cried a uniformed soldier, as he and a team of fourteen civilians continued to fire upon the Machines that had broken into the base. 

"_We're sending a shipment!"_ cried the voice over the radio. _"But make those shots count! We're almost out here!"_

The guy nodded. "Damn, we've already switched to single shot here," he muttered, as he lowered his rifle once more, preparing to destroy another Machine when it peaked around the corner of the corridor.

"How many of these damn things are there?" asked one civilian male, holding his weapon with shaking hands.

"Too many," growled Hikari, gasping for air. She wasn't the type to want to be on any front line. But with her boyfriend and their friends fighting with everything they had, she couldn't sit back and wait in seclusion either.

"I ain't giving up," said one elderly man, reloading his weapon, putting the unused shells into his pocket to refill an empty one if needed. "Those kids been fighting for us all this time, just ain't right. Kids should be kids, shouldn't be fighting for humanity."

He was silent as he finished replacing the ammo clip. "Time we take some pressure off their backs, lighten their loads."

The other adults slowly nodded, their dedication rising as their uncertainties began to fade, each one believing that in the end, they would survive.

But the corridors suddenly fell quiet, the mechanized trudging of the Machines silent.

And all that remained behind ... was a little girl's giggle.

"Lock and load, boys," shouted the elderly man, as he spun around, trying to figure out where the voice had come from. "I think a new surprise just dropped on our lap."

The others quickly formed a circle, looking outward, weapons raised.

"What the hell is it?" asked a nervous man, a small bit of stubble on his face.

"No clue," said the elderly man. "But I doubt it's friendly."

Hikari gulped, looking around, a bit of fear as she looked around, before her eyes spotted... "Rei?" she asked, seeing the pale-skinned girl before her, wearing a school uniform ... and smiling.

She barely had time to scream as Rei's right hand darted forward, as if trying to yank out her heart, nor did she hear the screams of the men around her, as they too were attacked.

* * *

"What is going on?" yelled Kaji, as they heard several screams over the intercom. 

"Massive Anti-AT Field detected!" yelled Makoto.

"Anti?" asked Sanada.

"If it touches you, you loose soul cohesion, you literally break up completely into a puddle of primordial ooze!" yelled Ritsuko as her fingers dashed against the console. "These levels are high enough to breech the barriers of an Ascended!"

"Massive energy readings from Terminal Dogma!" yelled Shigeru.

"We have failed," said Gendo.

"Sir?" asked Misato.

"Lilith has awoken, and if she has, then she will initiate Third Impact on her own," said the man.

"She's going to reset the world," said Kozo sadly.

"There's got to be something we can do!" she yelled, as the complex seemed to shake, a different vibration that came from deep underground, and not from above.

"Activate the self-destruct," Gendo ordered. "If nothing else, we have to hope we can stop her. If we're lucky, we might even be able to take out SEELE's team."

The bridge quieted down.

"It was a good run," said Rara.

Kaji sighed. "Better just us than the entire world."

"Do it now!" yelled Gendo. "If Lilith stops use before it can be done, than this is all for not!"

"Activating Program: Lazarus!" yelled Shigeru, as he typed the needed passwords. It was their last hope that if something happened, if they failed, they could at least keep the planet from being destroyed by what no longer had humans to watch over them. It was the only program, aside from the one using the old satellite network to transmit their fight to the world. And since they were about to nuke themselves, the enemy, and Lilith in the next few seconds, it was probably best to do such now.

For some reason, the Command Center quieted down, just enough for a girl's laugh to be heard.

"Oh my God," gasped Ritsuko.

"She's here," said Rara, pointing towards a small pale girl in a school outfit, smiling at them with red eyes and blue hair.

"Weapons ready!" yelled Sanada, as he pulled out two pistols, each loaded with the altered ammo.

Kaji sighed, raising his own guns, a move mirrored by the rest of the Command staff.

Gendo merely kept his one gun pointed at the one Rei who had appeared at his command level. "It would appear Lilith wishes to end the Children of the Grey."

The giggling continued to sound, as the battle above raged on, the room shivering slightly from the impacts.

"Is Lazarus a go?" asked Maya.

Shigeru nodded. "Planet's not going to be trashed if we go."

"**Time is up."**

"**Return to us."**

"**Be one with us."**

The group stared at the multiple Reis as they spoke, eyes wide with a maniacal smile.

"Rei!" yelled Misato. "We know you're in there! Fight back! Help us!"

One of the Reis seemed to struggle for a bit, her face not smiling, as much as grimacing. "I ... I ... I cannot..."

But soon, the struggle was over as Lilith's control returned.

"**Be one with us!"** they chanted as they darted forward.

A lone tear crossed Misato's face, as she pulled the trigger.

The battle had begun.

* * *

Inside Terminal Dogma, the form of Lilith began to glow, as the stolen body of Rei slowly sunk into it. 

"This world is mine, mine to control, and mine to define.

"Mine ... to clean."

And with that, a surge of energy was sent out. After all, only a few Children of the Grey were outside of Tokyo-3.

The rest were hers. And it was time for them to come home.

* * *

"It would appear our plans are going to come to conclusion," said Keel, discarding his monolith form within the VR meeting hall. 

"Can we trust Lilith to fulfill her end of our needs without using the methods we planned?" asked SEELE 03.

"Our plans to conduct Third Impact to our specifications are failing," said SEELE 09. "The latest scans indicate Lilith has awoken."

"She will return us to the proper path," said SEELE 05.

"**Such hubris among you fools."**

The group found soon the VR room was filled with representations of Lilith, using the guise of Rei.

"**To think, you dared to control the tools of the Gods, believing yourselves to be true masters of Destiny, of Fate."**

"We merely wished to send humanity to the next stage of evolution," said Keel. "We wished for humanity to survive, not die out as a failed experiment of Nature."

A loud giggling sound was heard throughout the chamber, making all in attendance wonder if the sound had come from there, or from where they were hidden in the real world.

"**And thus proof of man's ultimate mistake of hubris.**

"**You thought you were done evolving. I shall ... correct that mistake."**

Screams were all that could be heard, as the images of the monoliths faded away, each representing a terminated connection, a connection to a body that was no longer there.

Soon, all that remained was the cyborg leader of the group.

"Hubris was it?" he asked.

"**Yes."**

The figure of the head of the UN nodded. "Maybe I have been paving my road to Hell with good intentions. But I made my choice. Humanity will ascend beyond this paltry existence, and become something more."

His AT Field didn't even resist, as one Rei touched his forehead lightly, reducing him to LCL.

* * *

"What the hell!" yelled Asuka.

* * *

"What's happening?" yelled Kozo. 

"Severe seismic activity from Terminal Dogma!" cried an alarm, the tri-voice that was the MAGI interface responding.

"She made it," came the quiet response from Ritsuko.

"Do you think Shinji might be able to still win?" asked Rara.

"Structural breeches detected above Terminal Dogma, expanding outward."

"No," said Sanada. "I don't think he won."

* * *

The ground shook once more, as the lake outside of the NERV pyramid began to quickly drain, the fluids flowing too quickly for even the wrecked ship to stand a chance. 

As the water drained, a small column of light began to form. And as the Earth shook once more, that light shot upward.

* * *

"That can't be good," muttered Toji, as the column of light breeched the surface and slammed into the shield. 

"When is a column of destructive light ever good, Stooge?" growled Asuka.

Before he could berate her choice of words, the ground around the column exploded, as a figure of light slowly began to emerge from the pit.

"WHAT THE HELL!" yelled Mana.

"I believe Lilith has fully awoken," said Kaoru with an even tone.

"So we have to take her down as well?" yelled Toji. "As if we didn't have enough asses to kick already, why not add the God-damned Second Angel as well."

Unit 00 leveled a glare at the newly arrived foe. She had a good idea what she needed to do now.

But ... she needed to do one thing first ... before her final task was complete.

* * *

Ritsuko could only blink. A mere moment ago, she had been at Central Dogma, on the Command Deck with the rest, preparing to fight a surge of Rei clones intent on turning them all into LCL. 

Now, she was in some grayish void, the only one around.

"Hello, Ritsuko."

She whipped around, wondering where that voice had come from. Her answer was the form of her mother, not more than three meters away from her, wearing her all-too-familiar lab coat. "Mother?"

The woman just smiled, her hair the same color it had been all those years ago, the same color Ritsuko constantly washed out of her own on a weekly basis.

"I'm sorry, my daughter."

"Sorry for what?"

Naoko Akagi just smiled. "I know I wasn't much of a mother, a fault entirely my own, and one I hope that when the time comes, one that will not be yours."

"I don't understand," said Ritsuko. "Where are we? What's going on?"

"A moment in time to say good-bye, my child," said Naoko, sadness clear in her voice.

"What?"

"I find myself finally knowing what it means to be a mother, despite all that has occurred," Naoko continued, walking closer to her daughter, before taking the surprised bottle-blond into an affectionate hug. "I will do what any mother would do for her daughter.

"I will ensure her happiness and her survival to the best of my abilities."

Ritsuko's eyes shot open, fear beginning to flow throughout her mind. "No," she said in a whisper.

"Think kindly of me when you recall me," said Naoko, as the hug loosened. "No matter what I did, please remember me fondly."

"No," Ritsuko said with a stronger voice, trying to grasp the form of her mother.

"Goodbye, my child."

"MOTHER!"

* * *

Unit 00 bent down, grabbing a Heavy Lance liberated from the MP Eva series, one in each hand, the one eye of the Eva focused on where she suspected her target lay. After all, she had spent years studying Lilith, adding her research to that of Yui Ikari. 

She had done many things in her life, both as a human and as the soul of Evangelion Unit 00. Looking back, she knew she would have a lot to answer for when she passed to judgment in the next world, depending on which religion came the closest to describing what really occurred.

Rei was the center of such actions. She had killed her first incarnation, tortured and injured the second one. Even though it had been for revenge, it didn't excuse the fact that if nothing else, Rei was an innocent, something she had only began to truly appreciate since the arrival of Shinji and the return of her memories.

Shinji...

She wished she could say goodbye to him as well, but he was undoubtedly busy trying to defeat a menace she herself was about to attempt to destroy. And given a choice between the two, she felt it was the mother's prerogative to say goodbye to her child.

In a way, it was a fitting end to her. She knew Lilith had taken over Rei, the usurping of one personality by the older one. So given their history, it was fitting that it be her that ended Lilith/Rei's life.

The Heavy Lances shifted, taking on the form of the cloned Lances of Longinus that they originally were, as she glared at the Angelic being of Light that was now Lilith, a body now almost touching the clouds, and showing no sign of slowing down.

"**Do not worry, Rei. Soon, both ours pains will end, and this world will be safe."**

Target locked, the one location that she suspected the S2 organ of Lilith's form would be, she took off, blazing past the awed forms of the other units, each one getting the impression that this was something she needed to do. The pilots, however, doubted such impressions, and began to demand to know what she was up to.

With blinding speed, she shot across the terrain, before arching upward, ending her path right at the abdomen of Lilith's Angelic form, and plunging the two Lances into the flesh, stabbing deeply, before yanking them to the sides, exposing the internal flesh of the enemy.

With an internal smile, Unit 00 forced itself into the rapidly healing wound, and activated her self-destruct.

From the womb of Lilith, humanity was said to have sprung forth. She found it ironic that so to would humanity end, at least the humanity that was Lilith's work. That humanity would evolve into Shinji's brand of humanity.

"**Goodbye, Ritsuko. Live long and happy."**

And with that, the core of Unit 00 imploded.

* * *

The others could only stare as Unit 00 had dashed forward, wings looking more like a hawk than ever before, as she darted to attack Lilith, ignoring their calls for her to wait or stop. Their partners refusing to move, to stop her. 

"**It is something she must do,"** said Azrael.

And when she exploded, they could only watch in shock in awe as the midsection of Lilith was vaporized in a massive fireball.

"Did ... did it work?" asked Kensuke over the radio.

They watched as the form of Lilith somehow remained standing, its midsection now nothing more than a few pieces of flesh.

Flesh ... that was bubbling and expanding to cover the destroyed area.

"**It would appear that Lilith's core was not where Naoko believed it to be,"** said Hoshoni quietly.

It appeared that the battle was still on.

* * *

"MOTHER!" yelled Ritsuko, gasping for breath as she felt the connection between her and Naoko Akagi vanish. 

"I'm still here," smirked a version of her mother, standing before her.

She almost let her guard down, and would have, had she not remembered the dream her mother had sent her. It was the only thing that kept the hand now digging into her ribs from being a killing blow, instead of creating only a deep laceration.

**Bang!**

The copy flew backwards, a bullet wound in its forehead, as Misato pulled her injured friend up.

"Rits, get up!" yelled Misato, as she fired another two rounds into the advancing Reis.

Ritsuko slowly stood, grimacing at her wound, as she fell back with the others, her body trying to repair it.

What did it matter now, anyway? Her mother was dead, trying to take out Lilith, if the few working monitors still focused on the outside had been any indication.

_I'm sorry, Misato, but I fear this may be one battle we may never win._

The remainder of the forces inside the Command Center were in a tight circle, facing outward, and weapons at the ready. Maya had fallen, taken by surprise when a Rei morphed into Ritsuko and charged her.

It was a scene repeated with Kozo, as his was a replica of Yui.

And now, they were surrounded, seeing in each Rei that whom they trusted most. Only the fact that the images were unarmed dictated who to trust and who to shoot.

Gendo had simply let himself be destroyed by a Rei, asking Yui to forgive him and protect their son. His ability to do so, short lived as it was, had ended.

"Kaji?" asked Misato, both guns pointed towards the Reis, who had not pressed their assault ... yet.

"Last clips," he muttered, his own gun at the ready. "They just keep coming."

"She can make an infinite amount," said Ritsuko, gasping for breath at the center of the circle, her left arm holding some cloth against a wound she had taken when she had been pierced by a Rei resembling her now dead mother. It had only been sheer force of will and luck of Misato's aim that she wasn't a puddle of LCL at the moment.

"So it's hopeless?" asked Makoto, panting heavily, wondering what his chances of survival were.

"Unless the self-destruct hits now, yes," said Sanada.

"Can I ask why we are still alive?" asked Kaji. "They could overwhelm us, but don't. And how fucking long is that countdown anyway?"

"It should have gone off by now," said Rara.

One of the Reis smiled a near normal smile. **"Do you think I would not have ... removed ... such a problem while looking for Adam?"**

Misato just growled. "You planned ahead?"

"**I know what my former Avatar knew, and she knew very well the plans in place should I ... act up."**

The group cursed. The lack of destruction was now explained. Lilith had planned her moves accordingly, and they had been none the wiser, looking to prevent her main goal, and ignoring her side quests.

And now, she was about to achieve a major victory.

"And why are we alive?" asked Kaji, his free hand wrapping around Misato's waist.

The maniacal smile returned. **"Because I wanted to see that look on your face."**

And with that, the tide of Reis surged forward.

* * *

"This is bad!" cried Mana over the intercom. "I'm not getting anyone down there!" 

"**UN and JSSDF batteries are silent,"** said Trident. **"Comm traffic within the area is showing only automated responses. All other frequencies are silent."**

"I fear they are silent because they have been absorbed back into Lilith," said Kaoru, holding Mayumi close.

"You mean she overpowered the Ascended as well?" asked Kensuke in shock.

"**So my chances for socializing outside of my pilot are now incredibly small," **said Dante.

"Hikari," Toji said, looking down from the sky to towards Tokyo-3, and the giant form of Lilith standing in it. "Naru, Dad..."

"We can still get them back," said Asuka. She didn't know how, but she couldn't risk one of their teammates going psycho and trying to perform a suicide run.

Loosing Unit 00 had been bad enough. And it looked like that sacrifice had been for naught, the damage already gone, and they still had no information on where Lilith's core or S2 organ were.

"So what now?" asked Mana.

"We stay alive till Shinji gets here," said Asuka. "He survived, and he's our best hope of stopping this Hell, maybe even fixing it."

"You sure he's alive?" asked Kensuke.

"I know he is," Asuka said, directing her glare at the giant Angel. "I can feel him."

"I have bad news," said Mayumi, cutting in over the comm.-link with Unit 04. "Those MP EVAs are getting back up."

The airborne group looked down, as the trashed Mass Produced Evangelions began to slowly pull themselves up, their damaged bodies regenerating at a quick pace.

"Lilith is supporting them," said Kaoru. "I can hear her calling to them through the Link of Adam."

"What's that mean?" asked Toji.

"It means she has merged with Adam," said Kaoru sadly.

"Wait; I thought she hated him," asked Mana.

"She does," said the former Angel. "But he is weak enough for her to control, to use to fulfill her ambitions. As we are, we have enough power to prevent her from reducing us as she did the rest of humanity and neo-humanity. Using the MP Evas, she will attempt to weaken us enough to make her job easier."

"Can you jam her?" asked Asuka.

"If I interface with the link, if I do something other than listen in, I fear she will be able to control me as well."

"At least the MP Goliaths and Icarus units are staying down," said Mana. "That should make it a bit easier."

"No," said Mayumi. "They are scrounging within the debris for parts from them. I believe they are ... adapting."

"Scheisse!" yelled Asuka. "New plan: descend and kick their asses before they get stronger. The last thing we want is these things with is more firepower. If Lilith wants us, let her get her own worthless ass out here and do it!"

"We need a miracle," said Kensuke sadly.

His request was met with a bright amount of light and fury near several MP EVAs.

* * *

Kazuki Yotsuga had been a kind boy when he was alive. Before the accident, he had dreamed of going into space. He had ambitions most boys that age had. 

Then an accident occurred. A life for a life, a cost the kind boy paid with.

And then he was alive, his mind downloaded and stored as a massive AI in the mainframe for Goliath-00. He was the basis for the other units. And even though they were copies of him, the spark that was the real Kazuki Yotsuga seemed to be missing in the doubles.

But the lone remaining Goliath laid on the ground, it's legs useless, arms disabled. It couldn't move, couldn't even assist the remaining forces in the defense of this world.

But it could do one thing now, one last thing to help those left, to give the last bit of himself to save others.

He worked quickly, cutting through damaged programming, as he severed several key systems, deleting subroutines meant to keep the needed outcome from happening, and disabling all warning systems.

He waited until they were closer, reaching for his framework to strip him of any weapon they could use to augment themselves.

"Go to Hell, you bastards," he growled, as he initiated Self Destruct.

In a second, Kazuki Yotsuga was no more, as he and four MP EVA units were replaced by a plume of nuclear fusion fire.

* * *

Mana smiled. "One miracle," she whispered. _Thanks, Kazuki._

"Four gone!" yelled Toji. "Regenerate from that, you bastards!"

"We still got five!" yelled Asuka as the group descended.

"Five-on-five is a lot better odds than five-on-nine," said Kensuke.

"Fuck the odds!" yelled Toji. "Let's make sure these copies don't cause anymore problems, so we can focus on the parent!"

* * *

The black and red eyes of Lilith's Angel form looked down onto the ensuing battle. To think that there had been a soul inside that metallic construct... She knew there had been, she felt a soul join the All-Soul when the explosion had occurred, and she knew that the MP EVA units were soulless. 

"Seven souls in mortal coils left, six souls left within shadows of Adam and shadows of metal," she ticked off.

But it was going to take time. True, she could have saved time by pulling those fools into herself. Even if they exploded, she would survive, and their souls would enter her.

But that would take energy, energy she'd rather spend reformatting this world and leaving sooner. Reviving the fallen units were better investments of that energy, only needing to maintain the connection for the shells to believe they had a soul, and allow their own S2 units to provide the power.

"Now I simply need to wait for that Bastard to surface," she said.

* * *

Unit 01 gripped the Lance of Longinus as it made it's way up the emergency deployment tunnels, designs for the emergency when the launch gates would be useless. Seeing as how the fusion plants were in emergency mode, it was the only way to get to the surface. 

Unless of course unless she wanted to climb the giant ghostly white woman standing within the Geo-Front.

Inside her, was the form of Shinji, resting inside the entry plug, recovering from the injuries he had sustained in the encounters with Lilith.

"**My son, you must hurry and recover. We'll be on the surface soon!"**

"How ... how do we defeat her?" Shinji asked wearily. His S2 was at its maximum potential, repairing his battered body as quickly as it could.

"**Her core will be inside Rei's altered body now, until she eliminates all of humanity. Only then will she fully merge with her old shell. Until then, she'll hide it inside Rei's body, moving around until she is safe enough to begin refusing."**

Shinji slowly nodded, feeling his nerves inside his legs tell him they were ready to work at full power now, the energy shifting from them to his midsection.

Yui stayed silent as the continued their ascent. She didn't want to tell her son the truth. She suspected he already knew the loss of Naoko and Unit 00. Nor did she want to tell him that aside from the pilots and the souls inside the machines, there were no other souls left on Earth.

* * *

Asuka crotched low, narrowly avoiding being sliced in half by the MP EVA as it wielded its Heavy Lance. Her leg shot up, catching the white EVA in its chest, and sending it back against a trio of buildings. 

"Good job, Devil," smirked Toji, as he was in a current test of strength with a MP EVA. "You just flattened the school."

"The class might give you a medal when this is over," said Kensuke, as he fired on an approaching MP EVA.

"Just keep hacking at these things, will you!" yelled Mana, as she fired her positron laser into the chest of her own MP EVA, cutting right through the Heavy Lance.

Hoshoni held a MP EVA by its small neck, a black tail coming from behind him to pierce the abomination that held a Dummy Soul based on the pilots' data. **"They are putting up less of a fight than I would have assumed."**

"That is correct," said Kaoru. "I believe they are only a distraction."

"For what?" asked Mayumi, her form generating the shadowy tail behind Unit 04.

A purple-armored fist smashed through a release hatch on the street, before planting itself on the ground, hauling out the rest of the purple-armored mecha attached to it.

"Shinji!" yelled Asuka, as she used the Heavy Lance to cut the MP EVA in half vertically.

But the purple EVA was ignoring them all, focusing solely on the giant Angel standing in the middle of Tokyo-3.

"Shinji?" asked Mana.

"No quarter given," came the toneless voice, as the EVA raised the spear it had procured.

With a mighty growl, it launched itself into the air, Lance at the ready, towards the giant form of Lilith.

"Well, I guess we know the plan now?" said Toji, sarcasm dripping from his voice, as his progressive scythe finished off the remaining MP EVA.

"Just follow him!" yelled Asuka, as Unit 02 took to the air.

* * *

"So the flies believe they can face me?" asked Lilith with a smirk. 

"So be it then; come to me you fools, and become one with the All Soul!"

* * *

Unit 01 launched itself towards the towering Angel, intent on killing it and freeing the souls it had trapped. 

Of course, such plans needed to have minor corrections made, when tentacles of flesh shot out towards it, trying to wrap it up.

The Lance shot out, Unit 01 using it to slice the flesh trying to envelop it, trying to consume it. The others followed, using either their own weapons or the stolen Heavy Lances to do what damage they could to Lilith's gigantic form.

"What does it take to kill this bitch?" yelled Toji, Unit 03 floating back from the assaulting tentacles.

"We need to find the core and destroy it!" yelled Mana.

"Anyone have a clue where this core is?" asked Kensuke.

"Her core may very well be the size of our own," said Kaoru sadly.

"Something that size in all of that?" gasped Mayumi.

"So we should give up?" asked Asuka, her voice dripping with sarcasm and anger.

"To take her out, the explosion would be worse than Second Impact," muttered Kensuke, as Dante relayed the calculations.

"**I refuse to let this bitch win!"** growled Kyoko. **"I will not let Naoko's sacrifice be in vain!"**

"**Then we shall need a plan,"** muttered Trident. **"Just hacking away at her will not yield any progress."**

"Shinji doesn't seem to care," growled Mana, as she watched Unit 01 continue to battle with the flesh tentacles.

"**There ... might be a way," **admitted Dante.

"Well," growled Kensuke, "tell us already!"

The machine seemed calm, before it continued. **"The best chance to end Lilith would be a controlled detonation, which would direct the blast as needed, and ensure maximum destruction of Lilith's form, ensuring a high chance of the destruction of the cores."**

"You can't be serious," said Toji. "Kamikaze!"

"**Since both cores are likely together to allow Lilith maximum control, such a strike would be our best shot. It would destroy over ninety-five percent of Lilith, while leaving Shinji alive to resurrect you."**

"You can't be serious!" yelled Asuka.

"It does make sense," said Kensuke. "If we hope he can resurrect the souls collected by Lilith, we have to hope the same applies not only to use, but the souls within the Evangelions and the Jet Alones as well."

"You want us to die so we can live!" yelled Asuka.

"Ken, man, you've lost it!" yelled Toji, as the tentacles seemed to grow longer, attacking them all again.

"It may be our best option," said Mayumi. "How long can Shinji maintain his attack?" she asked, as they saw Unit 01 get close enough for the Lance to slice into the skin of the form of Lilith, before said skin healed completely. "Even the Lance is unable to permanently injure this form."

"Trident?" asked Mana.

"**I find no fault in this plan, minus the inability to vaporize her completely. If we fail to neutralize the cores, our sacrifice will be in vain."**

"So our best plan is to blow ourselves to Hell, hope it takes out the Queen of Hearts here, hope that Shinji survives and finishes her off if we can't get the cores when we explode, and hope he brings us back?" asked Asuka.

"**In my scientific opinion; this plan sucks ass,"** added Kyoko.

The group was quiet as the near-berserker that was Unit 01 continued to strike at Lilith's form.

"We don't have a choice, do we?" sadly asked Kensuke. "We have to get enveloped and self destruct to win."

"We at least have a chance to come back," said Toji.

"**You are all insane,"** muttered Dante.

"**I have calculated the needed entry vectors and velocity,"** answered Trident.

"We got to wait for Shinji to move," said Mayumi. "And I doubt he will wish for us to carry out our plan."

"He will resist," agreed Kaoru.

"**Send him the plan just as we impact,"** said Azrael. **"He cannot object if we have done it, and he cannot be stuck speechless, if he does not wish our sacrifice to be in vain."**

Asuka released a deep breath, small bubbles floating out from her mouth into the LCL. She was seriously about to do it, to sacrifice herself. Sure, it had always been a possibility, a possibility that came with being an EVA pilot, with even trying to fight for the essential survival of your species.

"**It is often rare that one gets the choice of how they exit this world, often assuming that such a choice will be the end,"** started Trident. **"But I have not only been programmed to, but asked, to ensure the safety of my pilot over all else, minus the need of the mission.**

"**Now I ask each of us if we are ready to sacrifice ourselves for the one hope we have left to ensure humanity's rebirth, to ensure the best chance Shinji has to win in order to save us all."**

"The choice is obvious," said Kaoru, clutching Mayumi's hand. "We go ... for humanity."

"HUMANITY!" cried the others, dashing forward along their predetermined paths, weapons at the ready, as Shinji was snapped backwards by the encroaching tentacles of flesh.

* * *

Shinji growled as he was thrown back, the wings of Unit 01 keeping them from being flung too far. "I need to end this bitch," he growled, anger taking over. 

The mecha shook as the remaining forces flew past him at high speeds. "What the hell?" he gasped, seeing them dart towards the giant.

He barely reached towards the communications button, when his screen filled with details of their plan.

"No!" he gasped, as he saw their final plan. He willed the Unit to move forward, but it froze. "Mom?"

"**This is our only chance, my son," **said Yui. **"We will not have another chance."**

"There's got to be another way!" Shinji cried out, as his friends landed on Lilith, using what weapons they had to try and dig in as deeply as the could into her flesh, their radios silent, not wanting to talk, not wanting to risk being talked out of what they were doing.

"**There is none, my son," **said Yui, sadness echoing in her disembodied voice. **"Let them do this, let them do this because it is what they want, what they have to offer to our chances to bring down Lilith forever."**

He could feel them; he could feel their desire, their passion, and their dedication to this course of action. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to stop them, to prevent their deaths.

But Yui refused to relent. Even if his presence was enhancing the power of Unit 01, she alone still decided whether to allow him free reign to do as he wished.

And then ... they were gone, bright mini-novas against the Giant of Light Lilith had become. He could recall them clearly now, the smiles on their faces. Toji had been thinking about his sister's smile, Kensuke about his father's praise for being a pilot, Kaoru and Mayumi had been staring at each other with contentment in their eyes, Mana and Asuka smiling, stealing one last glance towards him, before Death claimed them. The machines they piloted; they too sang to him. In the end, they were truly happy.

And soon, the flash died down, the wind's howl slowed, as the dismembered form of Lilith seemed to hang above the city.

"**NOW SHINJI!" **cried Yui, as Unit 01 took the optimal position it could find, the Lance between its wrists as Shinji's former sword had been, when it released an attack that obliterated the Sixteenth Angel/Avatar, when it melted a good portion of the moon's surface.

He stared at the damaged form of Lilith, anger welling up inside him. She had taken so much from him, from everyone, from this world.

Rei. Asuka. Misato. Mana.

Everyone. Anyone. All gone.

His anger peaked, as he pumped what energy he could into Unit 01, something the Unit itself was doing. Energy arched along the Lance and between the pike.

"NOW LILITH," he yelled out. "DIE!"

"**ARMAGEDDON CANNON!"** came out the dual cry from the EVA and its pilot, as the energy pulsed along the Lance, as it shot towards what remained of Lilith's battered form.

* * *

Unit 01 crashed to the ground, its power used up in the massive Armageddon Cannon attack on what remained of Lilith's huge form. The armor protecting the core jettisoned off, as Shinji exited, intent on making sure nothing of Lilith remained, nothing let to keep him from the All Soul and his friends being returned to life. 

He darted into the sky, his sword in hand, as he raced to find even one spec of Lilith, to find what may remain. Shinji had no doubt part of her had survived; she was more like a cockroach than a Seed in such matters.

But what he saw coming towards him was not what he expected. It was scarred, ripped in places, but sure enough, the giant head of Lilith was falling towards him; all that seemed to be left of the terror that had absorbed humanity.

Smirking, he tossed the sword once more, catching the hilt between his wrists, palms facing the blade. This was what he waited for, the end.

"ARMAGEDDON CANNON!" he screamed out, widening the blast as he wanted to encompass the rest of the head.

But it was not to be.

His eyes opened wide as the blast streamed towards the face of his enemy. But the face ... was smiling, as it opened its massive maw.

And it fired.

Shinji screamed as he poured more energy into his ultimate attack, hoping to negate her blast at best, shield himself from it at worst and force hers to curve around him.

But Lilith's blast was too strong, too full of power, as it slammed into the approaching attack of the Grey Seed, halting only for a moment, before it was soon proven her blast would not yield, would not be deterred by Shinji's attack.

He barely had time to pull his wings forward; using what energy he could to slap together a shield to survive Lilith's own energy cannon. It had barely held as it slammed into him, sending his body through the armored plates that separated the surface from the inside of the Geo-Front, and into the pyramid that had been NERV.

The descending face stopped its attack, seeming to float high above the ruined city now, its face now slowly forming a smile. Soon, the damage to the face faded away, as bubbles began to form around the base of the severed neck. It wasn't long before the bubbles shot out, revealing newly formed flesh behind where nothing had been before.

And soon, the giant Lady of Light was standing once again, slowly rising from her crouched position, towering once more above the former citadel for humanity's stand against the Angels.

The giant female form of light rippled a bit, as a small opening formed at the site of the womb's location, had the giant been human.

Soon, the human-sized avatar of Lilith emerged once again, her form covered in black robes, as she slowly turned around in the air. "Soon, what once was will be so, once again."

"**You talk too much."**

Lilith had no time to turn around, as large purple hands surrounded her, trying to crush her within their grips. "I assumed you would be irrelevant."

"**Your main mistake,"** said Yui. **"I figured you would hide within your own form, waiting for the battle to die down before you resumed your stolen form to remake the world."**

"Still the wise soul, Yui," smirked Lilith, not even straining her AT Field as Unit 01 tried to crush her. "But you cannot stop what is inevitable. Your associates are gone, your family is torn, and humanity is once again within my bosom."

"**I have faith in my son, as does the spirit of 01,"** admitted Yui, forcing more of her energy into trying to crush the form of the Second Angel. **"Even if I fail, he will save this world."**

"Stupid daughter," growled out Lilith, "there is no longer a world for the bastard to save."

"**If that was so, then why do you fear him?"** asked Yui. **"You fear him because he will soon remake the world, and the likes of you will have no place among us."**

"Funny," smirked the pale woman, "that was what I was about to tell you."

In a flash of ethereal brute force, Lilith forced her AT Field outwards, ripping herself free of Unit 01's crushing grip, and flinging the Unit backwards into the remains of the outskirts of Tokyo-3.

"You know," mused Lilith, "I could almost think of that form as another daughter of mine." Gathering power into her hands, she looked at the still immobile form of Unit 01. "And like my other daughter, your usefulness has expired. Perhaps you'll be needed in my new world.

"Goodbye, Yui Ikari."

And with that, Unit 01 ceased to exist.

Her last thoughts were of her son, and the hopes he would be able to put her death aside, and do what needed to be done.

But Unit 01 had its own thoughts as it passed on, quite similar to those of Yui Ikari.

But to Shinji, it referred to him as ... brother.

* * *

Within the rubble, Shinji slowly came to as a deep pain streaked across his heart, as if his soul itself had been stabbed. 

_Mother?_

His mind reached out, trying to find her, trying to sense her.

But he received no reply, no feel.

She was ... gone.

"MOTHER!"

* * *

"MOTHER!" 

Lilith turned slowly, seeing the panting form of her enemy, small bits of concrete falling from the sky after his explosion from the burial site. "Well, I must admit, you are very tenacious in your will, Bastard."

Shinji continued to breathe heavily, his wounds healing as his S2 organ continued to repair the damage his battle was producing. "You ... you BITCH!"

Lilith smirked. "Amazing; did you honestly believe that abomination made of my blood would be able to hurt me, to stop me?"

"SHE WAS MY MOTHER!" yelled Shinji.

Lilith darkly chuckled. "You speak like I should care.

"Her soul has been returned to its creator. She is no more now than she was before. You should be thankful to me. I did free her from the Shadow that the Lilim created in Adam's failed image. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"You spiteful hell-spawn," muttered Shinji. "You truly have no idea what you've just done."

His eyes turned blood red as he glared at her. "There is nowhere you can hide, no one who can help you, and no one who can stop me now. I will hunt you down for all of this, and I will make you suffer for every single soul your stupid little power trip has ever made suffer."

"Little Bastard, you fail to realize that there is no living soul left on this world aside from us, to care" she said, waving her hands. "Even your brood has been brought into me. I contain the power of every worthy soul on Earth.

"But you," said Lilith, her eyes turning black, "you are now unworthy of ever being taken into me."

Shinji chuckled slightly. "Like I'd ever allow myself near your black abyss of a soul, you bitch," he muttered.

Smiling, Lilith slowly opened the collar of her suit, revealing ... an eye. "Funny, and here I thought you'd be happy that Adam and I are getting along now."

Shinji paled as he looked on. "You ... you absorbed Adam?"

"Yes," said Lilith. "I did need a bit of a power boost in order to restart **my** world, after all. And with the Infinite S2 organ that those you call the Gods gave him, I was even able to overcome those little bastard children you created. Such a poor Seed you are if you can't save them."

Shinji paled, as he opened his senses, trying to feel his friends who had been inside the Geo-Front, who were supposed to be safe because he had ascended them.

But there was nothing; no sound, no thought, no desire.

They were gone, and only static remained on the link shared by them all. "No," he whispered out. He had hoped, prayed she had been lying when she mentioned that **they** were alone before. But now...

"Yes, it's true," said Lilith, her face showing the enjoyment she got from the sadness radiating off Shinji. "They did fight well, but when I want something, nothing among my children will stop it; not even those who thought your distortion of them would help them."

Shinji's hands slowly curled into fists, blood seeping out from his fingers as they dug into his flesh. "They ... they were innocents; they had no reason or gave any for you to do that to them."

"They had to be purged of the mockery that you made of them," answered Lilith.

"You ... had ... no ... right," he growled out.

"I had each and every right," she replied. "They were mine before you tried to corrupt them, lead them away from the path I had planned. You were the one who forced my hand."

"You arrogant bitch!" yelled Shinji. "They were already on the cusp of no longer needing you when Adam was awakened by SEELE. They weren't yours anymore!"

"Well, as their mother, I disagree," answered Lilith. "But don't worry, I won't leave you around long enough to mourn them. After all, I wouldn't want your soul within me. I have to maintain my purity after all."

"You? Pure? Looks like Adam popped that notion," smirked Shinji. _If I can kill her, it'll release the souls. I just have to hope I can reform them into bodies before they dissipate._

"When this world has been remade into what I want of it, I shall ... deal ... with the little bit of unsavory refuse on my chest," she replied. "In this state, he has no power or control over his S2 organ, and I ensure he won't be getting it back."

"I will stop you," declared Shinji, power already gathering in his hands.

"I'm afraid, Bastard of Adam, you won't be here to do anything," she replied, the Eye of Adam beginning to glow. "I can't risk you being alive, but I can't kill you here either. I would simply be remiss in my duties if I allowed your tainted presence within the All-Soul.

"No," she smiled, "I have the perfect way to deal with you."

Shinji flew towards her, energy already formed in his hands, as he prepared for an Armageddon Cannon. It was risky, considering it might very well destroy the very world, if not the very souls, of those he was trying to save.

But Lilith was in his opinion mad with the need for power. She had become a weed, no longer the plant the Gods had intended. She had to be stopped.

Even if that meant ... Rei would perish.

He no longer had the option of saving them all if he could. He was weakening. While Lilith could pull all the power she needed from Adam, his S2 could only produce so much energy per second; not the near infinite amounts a true Seed could produce.

He had one chance...

And it was not one Lilith would allow him. "Say hello to the worlds beyond the mirror, Bastard."

"Lili—" Shinji cried out, as he faded from the world.

"Well," smirked Lilith, "I think its time to begin my work, now that that ... hindrance ... has been dealt with."

* * *

"God, Shinji," sighed Asuka, "why do you have to be such a baka?" 

"What did I do now?" asked the lone boy among the two girls.

"Don't mind her," said Rei. "You know how dogs are when they don't get the right food."

"Did you just call me a bitch, Wondergirl?" growled out the redhead.

"If the dog collar fits," said the pale girl.

"Your cousin isn't here to save your ass now," growled Asuka, as she tossed her book bag to Shinji.

"I don't need Kaoru to teach you a few new tricks, you old dog," growled out Rei.

"Why are you fighting?" asked a pleading Shinji.

"Stay out of this," growled Asuka. "Okay, Wondergirl; time for you to learn not to piss me off!"

"Like you are capable of not being pissed off," said Rei, as she also tossed her backpack to Shinji.

"Oh man," groaned the lone male. "What'll it take to make you two stop fighting; divine intervention?"

The group stopped in their tracks, both girls with fists raised, as the sky flashed.

"Funny," whispered Asuka. "There isn't a cloud in the sky."

There explanation came as a shining object appeared out of thin air, descending rapidly enough to emit a whistling sound.

"INCOMING!" yelled Shinji, as he dive-tackled the girls out of the way, moments before the object impacted into the street, sending a spray of debris.

"What the fuck was that?" yelled Rei, as she slowly sat up.

"I think it was a meteorite," said Asuka, rubbing her head.

"WHAT?" yelled Shinji, his hearing somewhat knocked out by the sounds of the crash.

"Maybe it's an alien invader," whispered Rei, sneaking closer to the pit.

"You need to stop reading those manga, Wondergirl," growled Asuka. "It's rotting your brain. You keep it up; you'll end up a stooge."

"WHAT?" yelled Shinji. "I don't want any fudge!"

"Owie," came the muttered word from the pit.

"EEK!" screamed the girls, as they ran behind Shinji.

"See, I told you," exclaimed Rei. "It's an alien invader! It'll capture us and perform horrible experiments on us to satisfy its evil curiosity. WE'RE GONNA GET PROBED!"

"Be a man, baka," yelled Asuka, forcing Shinji forward. "Now protect your girlfriend."

"WHY DO WE NEED A VAN?" asked Shinji, still trying to get his hearing back.

"Save us Shinji!" exclaimed Rei, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You heard her, save me first!"

Asuka slowly turned to see her rival wrapping herself around **her** Shinji. "Why you stinking slu—"

"DAMN YOU LILITH!" came the cry from the pit, as more stone and concrete surged upward, a figure following it, before coming down to land between the three children and the pit.

The girls and guy could only stare at it.

Tattered rags were all that remained of its clothes, preserving some modesty, as it slowly stood, its red eyes and pure white hair matted with sweat. Eight wings, four black and four white, emerged from his back, as he stared into the heavens. "I WILL GET YOU FOR THIS, YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU THINK THIS WILL STOP ME?"

"Um ... excuse me?"

Blinking, the angelic figure slowly lowered his line of sight until he spotted the three figures before him. "Um ... yes?"

"Who are you?" asked Rei.

The figure sighed. "She sent me to another fucking universe. That's just great," he muttered. It was Leliel all over again. "My name is Shinji Ikari, the Grey Seed. Sorry about dropping in on you like this?"

The two girls blinked, before their eyes rolled up into their heads, and the fell backwards, no longer members of the waking world.

The two Shinjis stared at each other for a bit, neither one making a move.

"What was that about paying for speed? I don't do drugs."

Well, one was waiting for the other to make a move.

The other had yet to be able to hear correctly.

The angelic Shinji sighed. "Oh yeah, this day just keeps getting better and better."


	26. End of Evangelion Part 3

**Chapter 26**

**End of Evangelion Part 3**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

"Finally," huffed Lilith, panting slightly at the end of her effort to remove the twisted soul of the Grey Seed from her world. Sure, she could have expelled him into space, expelled him physically from the world she now owned.

But then what? Could she guarantee that he would not expire within her new sphere of influence, the sphere of influence of any other Lilith? What if he did? Could she control that soul, even if it meant containing and assimilating that taint?

It was best not to risk such an action. It was bad enough she was defiled by having to restore her children back to their desired state, removing the essence he infused into them. But to have the source of that toxin within her...?

No; removing him from the universe in its entirety was the best option, since she was still too weak to rend his soul, to wipe his existence out permanently.

But she was paying for it now. Her body was exhausted, the stolen energy she had taken from the Grey Children was at a dangerously low level, almost too low to restart her own S2 generation and complete Instrumentality, to restore and remake the world the way it should have been all those billions of years ago, before Adam's World hit.

This was her chance to Bloom, to fulfill her purpose, her destiny. It was a destiny withheld from her for billions of years, time forgotten when she should have been making her way from this world. It had been maddening to be so close to her purpose, only to have Adam's World slam into Earth and upset her timetable. Instead, she had been forced to be passive, to slowly influence the development of intelligent life over eons instead of centuries.

And what were the results? Madness? Adam's continued existence on **her** world? The birth of a second parasite on her world?

No; it was her children's desire for Adam's gifts, for control over the essence of creation itself!

But her desires were close at hand, only the lack of energy kept them out of reach for the moment. And with time now on her side, that moment was slowly dwindling, and she would once again have all she needed to fulfill her desires.

Closing her eyes, she floated within the air before the reconstructed form of her giant body. A few hours of quiet peace and meditation, and she would have all her energy returned, a day or two at the most.

Closing her eyes and her senses to the shattered world around her, she never noticed, never felt when a single soul within the Egg ... began to move freely.

"_Shinji ... kun..."_

* * *

_Universe B:_

The two figured stared through the two-way mirror, looking upon the black-haired male, eight wings sprouting from his back, as he sat on a stool, arms resting on the metal table before him.

"Has he said anything?" asked the female watching the boy.

"Only his name," said the male voice, "a few other things. For the most part, he's been quiet."

"He really does resemble Shinji," said the female voice.

"While I do not dispute that Yui," said the male, "the fact remains that he is an Angel. The Committee will want him handed over, if not destroyed."

"I know that, Gendo," said the revealed Yui Ikari. "But I still see my son in those eyes.

"Have the pilots been debriefed?"

Gendo nodded. "Not much to add; Shinji was temporarily deaf while Rei and Asuka were unconscious from the shock of the situation."

"Then I suppose we should question him now."

Nodding, Gendo reached for the handle to the interrogation room.

* * *

Shinji Ikari, the Grey Seed, sat quietly in the interrogation room, waiting for whatever passed for this world's Command Structure to send some to 'ask' questions.

Of course, the fact of what he would do if they went beyond 'asking' was beside the point.

Another world? Sure, he knew it was possible, a damned good likelihood after Leliel's attack. Part of him still wondered if all of those Pilots had returned to their own world, their own destinies. But now he found himself involved in that equation in a way he never would have considered. Here he was the alien, the Outsider due to Lilith's desire to not be 'tainted' by his soul, cast through time and space to an Earth not his own.

As if the day had been going well up till that point. _Maybe I need to piss off the Lilith here and make her send me home?_

The door slowly opened, bringing him out of his potential plans to piss off one Black Seed to send him back to kill another. His eyes widened for a split second, seeing the faces as they entered.

One was his father, easy enough to identify on some level, minus the beard he wore on Shinji's world.

The other was a face he often dreamed about in his short lifetime, a face he had hoped to see one day when he freed her from the confines of the Core of Unit 01: Yui Ikari, his mother.

The few that followed, armed guards with nothing more than the standard automatic weapons all military soldiers were usually equipped with, did nothing to warrant any attention from him. If they were using outdated—by his standards at least—weapons, then he had nothing to fear. It seemed that this was a world that had yet to make any use of the Anti-AT weaponry.

Taking a seat, the elder Ikari members sat across from him, Yui Ikari removing her glasses, as she looked across the table towards him. "Do you know who we are?" she asked, her voice and tone even.

Shinji focused back on them, feeling similar feelings from when he had been inside the Angel's Dirac prison; knowing the people before him both were his parents and yet not his parents. _So close and yet so far away from my dreams; one must wonder why Fate enjoys putting me through such torment._ "You are Yui Ikari and her husband Gendo Ikari, who married into the Ikari family."

She nodded. "Why have you come here?" she asked.

Shinji sneered at that. "Because the Mother of Humanity was a total bitch and doesn't like to play nice," he said, trying to keep venom from dropping from his remark.

"Explain," said Gendo, using the same monotone voice Shinji had come to expect from his father.

"Lilith tried to remove me from existence because she didn't see a place for me in **her** world," he said, shifting his attention to Gendo. "She initiated Third Impact during an attack on Tokyo-3 by SEELE, who had attacked in the hopes they could initiate it on their own and make themselves Gods among the new world order they planned.

"Naturally, we didn't like either idea and fought against them, wanting to preserve the new path opened to Humanity," he said.

"New path?" asked Yui.

Shinji nodded and leaned back into his cold metal chair. It appeared he was going to have to tell this story once again. On the bright side though, he at least knew all the chapters before this moment now.

* * *

_Universe A:_

Misato was humming contently, working on the meal before her. She had to hurry before her daughter arrived back home from school. With any luck, Kaji would be done with his job as well and they would be able to have a meal as a family.

"Misato-san."

Blinking, she turned from the stove. "Rei? What are you doing here? Do you need some help with class?"

The blue haired girl merely shook her head. "We need to leave this world now, Misato-san. We need to finish our fight with Lilith."

"Lilith?" asked Misato, looking as if she had never heard of the name before.

"We are in a dream world created by the All-Soul, a world meant to keep all souls content until Lilith has a need for it to be placed into a form," said Rei. "Misato-san, you are currently placed in this world, a realm made from what you would view as the perfect life."

Misato just smiled as she shook her head. "Such an active imagination you have, Rei-chan," she said as she went back to making the meal for her family.

"Then you do not believe that we were taken in Third Impact?"

The statement made Misato pause for a bit. That phrase...

"You have also lost the memories of our battles against the Angels, your father's sacrifice so that you could survive Second Impact?" Rei hated to do this; far be it for her to pull a soul from paradise. But if she didn't reach these people soon, then Lilith might prevail, and then all would truly be lost.

For everyone, for Shinji...

Misato's hand began to shake, emotions surging through her body. What was going on? "Please ... stop," she whispered hoarsely.

"I cannot follow that request," said Rei. "We owe Shinji too much to forsake him now."

The pan fell to the floor as Misato's hands seized her head, trying to fight off the maddening images, thoughts, and feelings that were bombarding her.

She was married. No; she was single, that bastard Kaji had yet to propose after they had made up. No; they were married, a child already there, married fresh out of college. No; they broke up in college because he was too much like her father!

"Why..."

"Human souls are easier to control if they are satiated," said Rei. "Lilith does not wish to use any power to fully wipe away the developed personality that each soul contains," she continued. "Such would occur anyway when she completes New Genesis, and remakes the world. So she is quite content to let humanity live in bliss until she wipes the slate clean."

Misato could only look at the pale girl, her mind still trying to wrap itself around the duality that had presented itself: the happy homemaker and the military strategist against the Angels. "Are you…?"

Rei slowly nodded. "I cannot manifest my control outside of the All-Soul to regain control over my body. In all likelihood, that avenue will be permanently cut off."

"You mean…"

"Aside from this world, when it is gone, I shall have no physical form to return to. I will cease."

Misato slowly nodded. "But we … we turned to something, some liquid. Can't you return that way? I mean, you're acting like we can."

"I am uncertain at this point," continued Rei. "For anyone to regain a physical form, Shinji-kun would need to wrestle control of the All-Soul from Lilith. I cannot label the necessary variables of what could occur. But since Shinji is evolving into a Seed, then it stands to reason he could control the All-Soul and restore forms to those that were absorbed into it.

"However, I was not absorbed into the All-Soul by having my physical form reduced by the disruption of my AT-Field. Therefore, I am uncertain as to what may occur when Shinji returns you to physical form."

"But you're here … now, right?"

"I was absorbed directly into Lilith," Rei continued. "While her original form controls the All-Soul, I can flow into it. However, I am not fully connected to it; therefore I can move within the myriad of individual realms to weaken them, to gather allies to strike back."

"And Shinji?" Misato asked, trusting more in the memories not associated with the perfect house wife.

Rei shook her head. "I am uncertain. I only know that Lilith feels she has defeated him permanently, but at the cost of much of the energy she gathered from the Grey Children. Because of that, she now needs to rest and gather more energy."

"And how does she plan to do that?"

"Her own S2 organ," Rei replied. "It is regenerating even as we speak. However, the length of time since it was last used has created a delay."

"Damaged from lack of use?"

"Correct. Within that time, we must gather those we can, and prepare to face her in here if need be."

"And if we fail?"

"We must not," Rei replied firmly. _We must hold out until Shinji-kun returns. It is all we can do._

Turning slightly, Rei seemed to glare at the wall, before a portal began to appear, blackness preventing any light or sound from reaching past the other side to them. "This will take us to the next person, Soryu."

"Gathering the pilots," Misato murmured, as she looked at the portal. "A gateway to our personal heavens, to pull us to Hell once again."

"Shinji-kun said once that anyplace can be heaven as long as you are willing to work to make it so."

Misato nodded, as she turned to look towards the living area, her mind—at least a small part—wanted to return to the dream, to avoid the painful reality that awaited her. It felt real, it was everything she had wanted, had dreamed.

But … but it wasn't real, an illusion could never be real, not to her.

"He probably got that from that girl; Usagi or whatever her name was," she murmured, as she focused once more on the First Child. "The odds are against us."

"I have survived your cooking," said Rei with a small smile. "These odds are better."

"Cheeky brat," smirked Misato, as she took off the apron and tossed it to the side.

"Fine then," she said, offering Rei her hand. "Shall we once more thrust ourselves into the breech?"

Nodding, Rei took her hand and the duo were off into the portal. It had been a small victory.

The war … that was going to be the real test.

* * *

_Universe B:_

"Do you think he was speaking the truth?" asked Gendo, sitting in his seat across from the Commander's Desk.

"I am inclined to believe him," said Yui. "What he knows, what he's described…? We knew the Fifth was a plant by SEELE, but even we never suspected he could be the Seventeenth. We simply assumed he was like Rei."

Gendo nodded. "Naoko and Ritsuko are going over what he's suggested as well as his blood-work. I doubt either will be sleeping for the next few nights."

Yui giggled a bit at that. The two were brilliant, but could too easily lose themselves in their work. "Anything we can gain from this will only help us in the long run. I am a bit worried about this 'ascension' ability he claims."

"We have been looking into that as well," Gendo said, holding out a report. "Scans of Rei have indicated that her S2 organ to under some stress, and there seems to be some activity around her appendix. If what he said about his Rei's transformation is true, then she will eventually lose her current S2 and develop a new one."

"And Shinji?" Yui asked, a bit of fear leaking into her voice now that her son might be changing as well.

Gendo removed his glasses. "Of that, I cannot be certain, and neither can our guest. But it is likely that the same effect he described will occur as well. Tests for them will begin within the hour on Asuka and Shinji."

Yui could only lean back into her chair, the weight of the matters they discussed weighing heavily on her. In all likelihood, they were changing as well. "It is a far cry from what he told of SEELE's plan."

Gendo nodded. "However it is preferable to being reduced to LCL and forced into one being."

Yui nodded at that. "When can we expect the Third Angel to surface?" she asked.

"Within the next month," he replied. "The Evangelions have all been prepared for the eventual combat.

"But I suspect you wish for … other preparations to be made."

"Oh?"

"I know you, Yui," Gendo said with a faint smile. "And I know when you're planning something. You want him to upgrade our forces like he did his own; you wish to take advantage of the Grey Seed."

"And if I am?" she asked. "The Council no doubt will learn of his gifts soon enough, leaks were never something we could truly plug around here. The question becomes how do we spin this to keep them from making waves."

"We could use the Fifth Child," Gendo commented. "He could be an excellent facet for giving them disinformation."

"But only if he trusts us," added Yui. "We would need his full cooperation."

"Then we introduce him to the one person who can gain it," said Gendo, leaning over the desk, mouth hidden behind his hands.

"I swear if you are smirking right now, I'm going to have to hurt you."

* * *

Shinji stewed within his cell. Granted, it wasn't as barren as his previous hostings, but it was still a far cry from a decent space to sleep.

"How do I get back?" he muttered once again, as he had for many times before. He had to return, had to save them, had to stop Lilith. He couldn't abandon his world, abandon his friends. Hell, he still had to go see Usagi's play sometime next month.

"I should have called her a bit more often," he murmured, thinking aloud. They had grown apart the last few months, but she understood, he was sure of it. But he cursed himself for letting the bonds of friendship grow weaker.

"I must be getting old," he sighed, as he leaned his head back against the wall. "I'm spending too much time complaining about the past."

Sulking, that was what he was doing, and he hated to be doing it. Sensei told him to never become consumed by 'what-ifs', but work to ensure that undesirable outcomes didn't come.

So what did he do now? He only had a few minor ideas about how he had gotten here. There was the possibility he could track down the one Angel that seemed to intersect so many universes, but he didn't have a clue if his were among them.

He could 'chat' with the Lilith of this world; get her to tell him just how the Black Moon of his world had pulled off the coup. That did carry the risk of giving her ideas and perhaps making things worse for this universe.

"I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't," he murmured, looking at the light.

"An interesting take on things."

He slowly lowered his eyes, focusing on the opened slot in the door. "My life has made me old before my time, Mrs. Ikari."

He couldn't call her 'mother'. She may be the mother of Shinji Ikari, but not him. To call her 'mother' would be … wrong, somehow.

It didn't stop him from internally wincing when he saw the flinching in her eyes. "Can I help you?"

She nodded, before she shut the slot, allowing her to open the door into the cell. "We wish to make a deal."

Shinji just nodded. "Your help for my unique help?" he asked.

"Pretty smart, aren't you?"

He just nodded, not to sure how she would take any comments he made about his lineage. After all, he had only given her the general overview of his world. And while the Gendo Ikari here might not be such a Grade-A bastard, it wasn't always easy for people to distinguish between what they could do and what they might do.

And even he knew that sooner rather than later, such info would have to be released to them.

"So, what's first?"

"We need you to see if you can generate an S2 organ in our Evangelion units."

"Will that cause any problems?" he asked. He had already expected such, and to be honest he was quite interested to see what the Dummy Soul would be like inside the first three Evangelions without the human souls they had been filled with in his world. But he also knew that the Evangelions had at first been made without an S2 organ to make them easier to control. "Or are you certain that the personalities that may have developed will accept your will?" he asked.

"We truly don't know," Yui said. "Another thing you'll help us with."

"So I'm to ascend your Evas, okay," he mused. "And what do I get?"

"Anything and everything we can offer you to assist you on your way home."

His eyes opened wide at that. "You're writing a pretty big check there," Shinji said.

"Any help against the Angels will make it well worth it."

* * *

_Universe A:_

Misato looked around the new 'world' they were on, trying to ignore the part of her that had been shivering from the journey.

"You will become quickly accustomed to crossing the Divide," Rei said, looking around for Asuka.

"Is it always like that?" Misato asked. It had felt … beyond anything she could describe, as if for the moment, reality was trying to erase her.

"It is a realm between thought, filled with the sum of human existence. It can be a bit … overwhelming to those not prepared for it. It is also why I held your hand, to keep you along the correct path and anchor you."

"What happens if I got lost in that?" Misato asked with a bit of worry.

"Your soul would be consumed by the forces, broken down and scattered to the currents," Rei said quietly, as she got a bead on where Asuka was within the dream world.

"Not a pleasant end," Misato mumbled as she followed Rei.

"I would imagine not."

"So where's Asuka?"

"Soryu has made her mental-world a great deal larger than yours, most likely due to her grander dreams."

Misato could only glare at Rei. "Are you saying I only had small dreams?"

"Your dreams were satisfied in an apartment," commented Rei. "Asuka likely has planned out entire scenarios for her version of heaven. One can only imagine the depths of such a scenario."

Misato nodded. "Probably including Shinji and her ruling the world."

The two traveled for a while longer, trying to locate their target. Misato couldn't help but not that the whole area seemed to be a park, teeming with life, as well as other people enjoying themselves. In fact, to her observation, there appeared to be plenty of families in the park on such a nice day. "Rei?"

"Yes, Misato?"

"Asuka's the only soul here? There seems to be a lot of people."

"A soul by itself is powerful," said Rei. "But the power generated by two souls can grow exponentially. It is easier to contain and later break down if the souls are isolated. Besides, dreams differ for each person, and such differences can cause disharmony, and perhaps even break the illusion."

Misato only nodded as she looked around, wrapping her mind around the fact that despite what she saw, none of the people playing in the park surrounding her were real, only illusions made to keep Asuka pacified. Somehow, it almost felt humorous to her: that it took so much to pacify the Second Child. _Part of her would probably be insulted if her world wasn't the biggest._ "So where is she?"

"One hundred and seventy four meters along the path we currently are walking," Rei replied.

"How do you know that?"

"I do contain some of the abilities of my Mother," said Rei quietly. "I suspect like Kaoru, my abilities have grown or shifted since my ascension. Unlike those absorbed by Lilith, my abilities seem to have remained."

Misato just nodded. It seemed to make the most sense. "For what it's worth Rei, thanks."

"You are welcome," the quiet girl said with a slight smile. "However, I believe we should save the thanks till afterwards. I do believe Soryu will be most difficult to pull from this world."

Misato followed the direction that Rei was gazing towards, discovering the reason that First Child had been worried.

Asuka was lying in the grass, looking older than she had been in the real world, her back against a man's chest as he leaned against a tree, with several children surrounding them resembling the Second Child and her beau. And despite Misato's first reaction, it hadn't been Kaji. Asuka was leaning against.

It was Shinji.

Misato just sighed. "Shit."

* * *

Asuka leaned back into Shinji's chest, enjoying the comfort of her life, listening with joy as their children enjoyed the sunny and warm weather. It was such a perfect day for a picnic, she felt as if she never wanted the day to end. After all, she had worked hard both at work and to get to where she was.

She was in heaven; that was all that mattered for the moment.

"Enjoying yourself, my love?" Shinji whispered to her ear, his breath making her giggle slightly.

"Always," she said with a smile, turning her head slightly. She stared into his blue eyes, warmth flowing from them. Yes, she was certain this was heaven, her dreams made real.

"Mommy!" cried a small girl with long brown hair. "I see a weird girl!"

Sighing, Asuka turned, planning on disciplining her child for saying such things. But her voice caught in her throat, her eyes locking on the approaching women. Her heart turned slightly, but she couldn't figure out why. After all, she had Shinji; she was married to him, birthed kids by him. Why would she feel put off by the approaching duo. "Hey, Misato! Rei! What's up?" she asked, plastering a smile on her face.

But still, she could not figure out why her heart was telling her that something dark had breeched the walls of her heaven.

* * *

_Universe B:_

Time was never a constant, not for those with higher senses or those who could traverse the eddies of time.

Shinji of the Grey knew this. Sure, he hadn't traveled through time. But he knew that one could. He had traveled universes however, thanks to Lilith and the Twelfth Angel. But for the Angel, those versions, those other pilots, had been in roughly the same time frame as him.

In this new universe, a world without Second Impact, time was not anywhere close to that frame. Here, school had started once more, the pilots were gathered again, but there had been no Angels yet, no attempts to restart Adam's Genesis, no false cries from Lilith to bring them here to her Egg.

It may as well have been time travel.

Yui, the analog of his mother, sat across from him in the interrogation room, looking over the notes he had written. In those pages were contained the knowledge of the Secret War that raged across the universe, the mistakes of the Gods. It contained dates of the Angels' arrival, their abilities, tactics to fight them, S2 development, and even the identities of the anchors for the Angels.

The last bit was basically worthless to them. Sure, you might know the anchor, perhaps could even kill them, but that didn't stop the Angel. The anchor could always be remade into a new person. After all, many of the anchors on his world had been born before Second Impact.

"I will say this, you are detailed," she said.

He just nodded tiredly. Shinji had no idea how much time had passed on this world, let alone how much time had passed on his own. "Got to help you all I can, that was our deal."

"I see," she said, as she handed the papers off to a member of the tech department. "So then, what about this S2 generation you mentioned?"

His eyes didn't even look at her, his head leaning on his left arm, his body wishing for food and sleep, not necessarily in that order. "Part of the changes within me becoming a Grey Seed."

"You mentioned that before," she said, looking over her own notes. "The blood of Adam injected into the child of Lilith, a plan of your Gendo in an attempt to reclaim me from the core of Evangelion Unit 01."

He nodded slightly, a bit impressed that Yui was taking the actions of her analog husband and her own analog's 'death' so well. "Add a month of those injections, emotional instability, and you have my two-winged beginning."

"And becoming Grey?"

Shinji just shrugged. "The anchor of Adam, Sensei, trained me soon afterwards."

"And you never learned his real name?"

"Never had a reason to," he said, shrugging slightly. "But I got the impression that my transformation gave Adam the idea to end the war on my world. There, it was actually Lilith that initiated Genesis to reclaim what she was losing."

"It does explain why your world has a lower birth rate than ours," she said. "Please continue."

"Anyway, after I arrived, I healed an injured Rei."

"From her injuries from the first activation test of Unit 00, Naoko Akagi's model?"

"Correct," he said. "After that, she soon transformed into a two-winged state. After that, my mere presence seemed to be enough to trigger the change in people and Evangelions, the rate depending on exposure time."

"So I am changing, as are the Children."

He nodded. "The organs usually form at the appendix. When they come online, you sprout wings, and thus you become someone affecting others."

"Like a viral agents?"

He nodded. "Angel regeneration and a sense of community without the loss of individuality," he said. "A perfect combination of the Black and the White."

"Any idea why the Gods didn't think of this?" she asked.

"No clue, maybe it was one of those things that ended up being bigger than them," he said. "I doubt even Lilith or Adam know what was in their minds, only what information they were programmed with. For all I know, the Gods were two competing civilizations, and this is their war made our problem."

"A problem that is trying to wipe out your world."

"Lilith lost it," he said. "Her world was being usurped. Who knows, maybe I'm Adam's kamikaze attempt to destroy her. All I know for certain is that I have to get back and save my world, while giving yours a fighting chance."

Yui nodded. "The Children have been asking about you."

"And?"

"I am tempted to let you see them, even given this … infectious transformation you seem capable of."

He could only shrug. "You have my notes on the Twelfth Angel, it wouldn't be the first time, and I highly doubt I'll force them to become Grey Seeds like myself. I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way."

"That was not my concern," she said. "The Old Men are up in arms, demanding you be transferred to their custody, something I was against even before you told me of their actions on your world. I know for a fact they have spies here, and probably agents ready to make a move should an opportunity to kidnap you arise."

"Or terminate me," he offered with a smirk. He highly doubted the SEELE on this world had anything close to anti-AT technology with the exception of any work done on the copy-Lances they created for the MP Evangelions.

"There is that, I suppose," she said. She left unsaid the worry about the one known agent of SEELE who could offer the most trouble: the Fifth Child Kaoru Nagisa. If the boy truly was the Seventeenth Angel, he bared closer watching, as well as extra training for Rei to be able to deal with her 'cousin'.

Shinji just nodded. "Either way, whatever prepping they can receive before your Angels show up is going to help, even if its news they don't want to hear."

"Very well," she said, standing up and gathering her papers. "I shall bring them down to an area and have you brought as well. I doubt this room would be conducive to an interview of such."

Nodding, he watched her walk out. He would be lying if he said part of him wished she wasn't his mother, wished not to be held.

But that was not something he could have, at least not at the moment.

So he closed his eyes, and opened his mind, searching for the voices he knew had to be there. In any world, in any universe that had an Adam and a Lilith, the All-Soul had to exist, a place where the call of Adam or the false call of Lilith could cry out, where Angels could hear.

Where he now wanted to listen and send his own call, to find which Seed if any would aid him on his way home.

"**Hello, bastard child of the Lilim."**

His closed eyes tightened at that. It was definitely **not** the voice he had been expecting. **"Hello … Tabris."**

* * *

_Universe A:_

Rei could feel the discomfort coming both from Asuka and from the world around her, discomfort from not only her presence, but that of Misato as well. It was expected, the presence of those not from the world afflicting it with an unknown factor. But it was this factor which revealed the world was fake as well. It had been what pulled Misato from her world, which allowed her to see the reality for what it was.

Asuka however had a larger world, a scenario of what her version of Heaven should be, and the inner rage to strike back at whatever threatened it.

"Hey, Asuka," said Misato, who didn't know any of this. "We hate to bother you like this, but could we talk … in private?" She did however doubt that just asking 'Hey, this is all fake and we need you to help us journey through hell to save the world,' would be a bright thing to do at the moment. She remembered how hard she had mentally fought trying to accept the truth and she doubted that Asuka would be any easier.

"Huh?" asked the Shinji there.

"Girl stuff," said Rei quietly, releasing a smile.

"It's okay, Shinji," said Asuka, putting a quick kiss on his lips, fighting the temptation to let it linger and grow. "I won't be long, watch the kids for me, will you?"

He smiled as he snorted. "So basically do what I always do; gotcha."

She giggled slightly as she playfully slapped him on his arm as she stood up. "Be back soon," she said with a blissful smile, as she walked towards the females.

Motioning for the duo to follow her, Asuka made her way away from the picnic, heading towards a small picnic table near a field within the park. "So," she said, as they distanced themselves from the children enough that she wasn't worried about them or Shinji overhearing, "to what do I owe this visit?"

"Asuka," said Misato, trying to find a way to breech the subject, "what do you remember about Lilith?"

Asuka paused mid-step, her mind telling her danger was about, but her senses were telling her nothing about from what. "Lilith who?" she asked, turning to face them as they neared the table.

"Lilith, the Second Angel, Black Seed," said Rei. "I believe you once referred to her as 'the giant fat-ass bitch'," said Rei.

"I … don't know what you're talking about, Rei," said Asuka.

Misato sighed as she sat down, rubbing her forehead. "You forgot all about Third Impact, didn't you?"

"I don't watch wrestling, Misato. Greased-up guys fighting in a ring is more your thing. I prefer Shinji greased up trying to pin me," she said with a smirk.

"You have developed a weak mind then," said Rei.

"Excuse me?"

"The Second Child I recall would not have allowed herself to be … fooled this way," replied Rei. "She would not have allowed herself to be defeated as you have become."

"What in the world are you talking about, Ayanami?" she growled.

"Shinji was fighting Lilith after you had been absorbed," said Rei as she stood up. "Even now, Lilith prepares her Genesis, Shinji somehow displaced. I refuse to let his fight end, his sacrifice to be in vain. I apologize; I felt you would feel likewise."

"Rei?" asked Misato.

"Have you lost what little brains you had, Ayanami?" said Asuka, her tone harsh as her knuckles turned pale from gripping the table top so hard, trying not to strike the woman. No, that would be a bad image for her children to see.

Rei continued to stare at Asuka. _She must be made to remember, time is not on our side. I must take this risk._ "If this is the extent of your dedication to Shinji, his time would have been better spent maintaining his friendship with Usagi to see if she was a more suitable match. Perhaps Mana as well, considering she never hid behind a false mask, calling him fairy-boy."

Asuka was nearly frothing at the mouth now. Her mind demanded she strike back, lash out at the pale woman that was spouting off such nonsense.

"Perhaps that is why your mother chose to pretend a doll was her child," said Rei, going for broke. "I see now you truly are worthless, Second Child."

Asuka had had enough, as her hand lashed out, striking Rei hard on her cheek, and sending her to the grass. "You bitch!" she yelled out, her arms reaching to choke the life out of the girl.

Misato tackled Asuka to the ground, trying hard to keep her from murdering their best hope.

"Let me go!" yelled Asuka. "I'll kill you, Wondergirl! How dare you say that shit to me!"

"Does this mean you can remember the world before Lilith absorbed you?" asked Rei as she wiped some blood off her face from a busted lip.

Asuka opened her mouth, ready to hurl another insult at the woman, ready to make another attempt to throw off Misato so that she could deliver her holy rage.

But no sound came out. Her hands went to her head, holding it as if it might explode outward. "I… I…"

"You must remember, Asuka," said Rei. "I apologize for saying such things, but time is of the essence. We must prepare to make one final stand against Lilith, with or without Shinji," she said.

"But Shinji… He's…" Asuka sputtered, turning to face the man who was standing and facing their direction, looking at her with concern.

"Each soul is given the image of what it would view as Heaven to make it docile, keep it weak until Lilith remakes the world, and then reformats the soul. That is no more the real Shinji than anyone else here aside from myself and Misato is real. No soul interacts with another, for fear of the power they might amass."

"Then this is all a dream," muttered Asuka.

"That's what the lady says," said Misato, as she tried to move Asuka back to the benches of the table. "Trust me; the headache is not the least pleasant thing you'll have to deal with, the travel's a bitch."

"I believe it is much worse that the Major's driving," joked Rei.

"Okay," said Asuka, "now I know this isn't real, nothing could be worse than that."

"Hey!"

"What of her cooking?"

"I can hear you, you know."

"Good point," muttered Asuka, as she turned once again to face her 'family'. "I wanted this to be so real," she said, a tear escaping her eye.

"That is the danger of Lilith's hold," said Rei quietly.

"Well what was yours like, Wondergirl?" asked Asuka as she wiped her eyes.

"I did not have one," said Rei. "As a direct descendant of Lilith, she has more control over my soul than any others. She merely subjugated my soul and absorbed it directly."

Misato stepped back a bit.

"Fear not, Misato," said Rei, flashing one of her few smiles. "I was able to extract myself thanks to Shinji's efforts. I was able to maintain my self-awareness thanks to his help in … growing," she said. "And as she was so obsessed with defeating and expelling Shinji from our world, she did not notice that I slipped her grasp as she called humanity to the All-Soul."

"So you slipped out while the minder was busy," said Misato with a light sigh. "Then again, I guess I was being a bit foolish, as if Lilith would play things like this."

Rei nodded. "I understand, given the fact she used my body to perform this abomination to Genesis," she said softly. "We should move now and find another member of our group to increase our chances."

"A pilot," said Asuka, eyes narrowing. "We either need the pilots or we need the Evangelion souls if they exist. Hell, The Fifth Child and her girlfriend would be big helps to us in here."

Rei paused a bit. "I am … uncertain if Kaoru or Mayumi were included in this place," said Rei quietly. "She may have viewed their souls as slightly less tainted than Shinji's."

Asuka's face paled in shock. "You mean they could be…"

"I am uncertain at this point," said Rei. "I will only be able to ascertain that information when we have built up our forces. As our group grows, so does the range that I can sense the souls we seek. I was fortunate to come across Misato's as quickly as I did. It is also possible that your souls were grouped together in close proximity so as to be watched."

"So the bitch might already know we're making a move against her," said Misato.

"Unlikely," said Rei. "She is currently attempting to recharge from her successful act of pushing Shinji out of our world. As she is focusing on that task, she is blind to our movements, otherwise she would have noticed Misato's world collapsing after she left with me."

"Collapsing," whispered Asuka, as she turned to see the worried look of the Shinji in her heaven, her children playing about the serene park.

"They do not exist, Asuka," said Rei. "They are only echoes of your wants and desires, they have no substance beyond what you wish them to have."

"I know that, Rei," Asuka spat out. "But I… It feels wrong to have that happen to them, even if they aren't real."

"I know that all too well," said Misato. "But they only exist in our heads. We should go now, we can't afford to spend such time discussing whether the voices in our heads are real," she said, chuckling lightly. She did however pause, wiping a few tears from her eyes as she remembered her own piece of heaven. "And we make certain the bitch pays for this. No one should be tortured by their own dreams."

"I … I should go say goodbye," said Asuka.

"You cannot," said Rei. "If you return to them, the dream will try and draw you back in, try to make you not want to let go.

"You must let go of the fantasy if you wish to save the reality," she finished sadly. "I … am sorry, but it must be that way. You can stay if you wish, but our chance of success would be affected, and Shinji would wish us to keep fighting."

"He doesn't have to walk away from paradise," spat Asuka.

Rei's glare hardened. "No; he merely had to walk through the personal hells of every Grey Child to return to us," she finished. "If he can walk through such horrors, you must be able to at least walk away from your own heaven."

Her face flushed with shame as Rei mentioned Shinji's mental issue. She could still recall seeing him like that, his mind seeming to jump from one regretful soul to another. Asuka had left quickly when she had figured out enough of his chatter to understand the gist of his problems.

She had barely gotten time to slam the door shut quickly as he lapsed into German; but whether they had been the dark threads of her mother's own soul or her own, she didn't and couldn't wish to know. "Let's go," she said quietly, as she flashed a final smile to her Shinji.

Her family, her dream family, was watching her curiously, wondering what was going on.

And as weak as it made her feel; had Rei not grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a rip within the air, she would have run to them, wrapped her arms around them, and never let them go.

But once again, the Angels had stripped her of her family.

Rage was a nice thank-you gift to start with to pay Lilith back.

* * *

_Universe B:_

Shinji floated inside his mind, reaching out for the first voice he had found in his search, and feeling odd that it was one he had not even expected to find.

"**Calling me by the name the Lilim refer to me as,"** said the voice of the Fifth Child. **"My, this truly is a surprising day."**

"**I take it then SEELE has called for you to meet with them,"** Shinji asked.

**  
"Oh, I am quite certain I will receive that summons soon, they are quite interested in you, my friend."**

"**I have no doubt that the fools who would claim themselves God would do such,"** Shinji said into the link. **"So tell me then, Kaoru Nagisa, how much do you know of the history of the White Moon?"**

"**I would be hazarded to guess a bit more than you," **he replied. 

**"I seriously doubt that, the Kaoru of my world was quite surprised with what I knew and he did not. Then again, I question how much even Adam and Lilith know of their own origins, let alone the two who exist on Earth now."**

Kaoru's voice was silent for a few moments, his mind trying to process what Shinji claimed to know. **"You claim to know the history between my kind and that which spawned the Lilim?"**

Shinji snorted, a feeling passed along the link. **"I know how both came about to Earth, I know why Adam slept and Lilith limped to her current pace. I know they are not the only Adam and Lilith in this universe, let alone the multiverse. I know that the Angels, your brethren, need Avatars or anchors to exist within Lilith's domain, that Adam's attempt at Genesis disrupted the field of Lilith on this world, making procreation harder and harder.**

"**I know a great deal many secrets, Tabris, that you and SEELE could never even dream of, and not all of them are of beings from the First Race to achieve thought in the universe.**

"**I know of SEELE's goals, I know their plans to achieve it, and I know what the costs will be.**

"**I also know that you may feel it fate to let the Shinji of this world be the Grim Reaper and end your existence to save theirs."**

The Angel's voice was quite, letting Shinji know that his words had made an impression with what he had made with his words. Yes, Shinji did know Kaoru perhaps better than this one knew himself. It came to him as well, not be design or request, but more than likely because Kaoru had been a part of the Grey in his world. But those aspects would only come up if they were needed, not if Shinji desired.

Perhaps it was part of the privacy afford to the Grey, never alone but never together.

Then again, perhaps he was special being the Seed as he was.

"**You speak with much temptation, Shinji Ikari."**

"**Call me Grey here,"** Shinji replied. **"I'd rather those morons be as clueless as possible, and I'd rather not have my analog be running from a bounty on his head because they fear he might become me."**

"**Very well, Grey,"** came the light chuckle from Kaoru. **"So then, care to part with a revelation that will change the paths of Destiny?"**

Shinji just smiled. **"The path of Adam and the path of Lilith are not the only paths available, at least now that I have arrived. I have been told by the Avatar of Adam—not you, despite what you'd like to believe—that I am becoming a new Seed, perhaps a new Moon."**

He could sense Kaoru's shock over the link.

"**Does that peak your interest, Fifth Child and pilot of Evangelion Unit 04?"**

There was a moment of silence afterwards, only Kaoru's shocked presence kept Shinji from thinking that their link had been disconnected. He doubted that the Seventeenth Angel had been prepared for such a revelation, that a new path was available, one which would alter his own perceived Destiny—an oddity from the supposed Angel of Free Will—and the path hoped for by his supposed Masters.

"**You speak of very interesting things, Grey," **said Kaoru. **"And you speak of things I may have to tell my handlers."**

"**Tell them what you will; they are of no consequence to me. If they strike out at me or those I cherish, I shall slay them without mercy. Their counterparts on my world were far better prepared to lash out at me than they ever will be. And I have no problem with practicing my revenge upon them for the sins of their analogs should they follow such poorly made footsteps.**

"**If they ask, merely tell them a new path is open, that the fact they believe that they can control ancient creations by the first sentient species in perhaps the entire universe, creations meant to be nothing more than giant and rapid terraformers, is at best laughable, at worse it brings into serious questioning of their lineage and their sanity."**

He could hear Kaoru chuckling at his comments. **"Very well, Grey. I look forward to speaking with you again. Who knows, perhaps the battle between the Moons need not happen here."**

"**That will be sooner than you might think," **said Shinji. After all, he knew that Yui Ikari was planning on bringing all of the Children to meet him, perhaps even the ones yet to be brought in on what he was, what he could mean.

_But what will I do to poor Shinji though,_ he mused. This was definitely not something the Gods had ever planned for.

Then again, he was living proof that they hadn't planned for everything.

* * *

"The scenario is shifting rapidly, Yui," said Gendo, as the duo made their way to the Bridge.

"I know that, Gendo," she said softly, adjusting her glasses. "But the opportunity that literally fell into our world is too good to pass up. This may be the option we need."

"SEELE will not like this," he said. "I have no doubt they are contacting their agents as we speak."

"Let them," she said. "I've had Ritsuko whip up a little something so that we might be able to learn who their spies are here. With any luck, this is just the thing to get them checking every resource."

"We should be grateful that the Mass Produced Evangelions are still far from completion," he said, "or they would no doubt be sending them here right now."

"They still may send something," she murmured. "Have Sensei keep a constant channel open with the JSSDF; I don't want them trying to scare the ants."

Gendo nodded at that, it sounded like a plan SEELE would hatch: get others to do your dirty work for you. "Should we go through with your initial idea?" he asked.

Yui paused for a moment. "No, but I want the sample stored under Omega-level security and as far away from Adam and Lilith as possible."

"I do hope we never need to use it," he murmured.

"Then let us hope before he leaves, our problems are either solved or another solution presents itself. I have no desire to initiate such a … revolting process, even to save humanity."

"Let us hope then that the option is never needed," he replied quietly. "And the tales of my counter part?" he asked, his voice a near whisper.

"Can you see yourself doing such?" she asked.

He stayed quiet for a moment. She didn't take that as his answer, Gendo was never one to let silence be his reply. He thought of what he wanted to say, thought of how to properly convey his true meaning. She liked that about him, gave her fewer reasons to mistake his meaning and toss him on the couch.

"Without you in my life, Yui, I can honestly say I could," he responded. "You balance me, give me proper direction. If that direction was stolen … I would burn the world to restore it."

"You sound like a fanatic."

"At least what I am fanatical about can be seen, touched, tasted, heard, and smelled," he responded with a smile. "Very few fanatics can claim such about their source of worship."

"True," she said. "And I so do enjoy your worship," she purred. "But mark my words Gendo, do not follow that path if something happens to me. Do you understand?"

He understood, nodding quickly as he heard her tone in her voice, the tone that said "I will pull you into hell and make Satan accuse me of being too rough if you fuck this up."

"Live for Shinji, live for my memory, but live."

"Yes, dear."

"And no fucking anyone working here," she added.

"So then where am I supposed to meet Shinji's new mother?" he teased.

"I never said you could get remarried or have anyone else," she said with a smile. "Now come, we have five children to introduce to the newest weapon in our arsenal."

* * *

_Universe A:_

He had thought but no form, a confusing existence for him.

There … had been a time when he had both, he was relatively certain about that. Something within his thoughts spoke of a form. But the reality of those thoughts just couldn't or wouldn't be grasped.

It was a very odd fact.

He was certain he was a he, yes, he was certain of that. He didn't know how or why, but he was certain.

But the majority of facts still slipped through his grasp.

So he tried to observe around him, hoping that perhaps it would allow the illusive thoughts to find him.

But within the eddies that were moving him—or was he not moving and what he was spying was?—were glowing spheres of varying sizes and shapes. He wondered what they were, what they contained, and if he resembled one, as he couldn't observe himself.

_Such pretty spheres, so many points of light, so many spheres…_

He barely could contain a straight thought, his mind so disjointed.

Then he felt something. His mind grew excited, actually feeling something, anything, was something new, something other than floating and observing the points of light.

It was … a call; something was wishing him to go to it.

Could he go to it? Could he move?

Did he want to move? He didn't know where the call was coming from, so he had no idea if he could even get there. He just knew it was coming from a direction of 'towards those points of light'.

_Hmm, well it might be interesting to at least attempt,_ he mused, trying to move his being towards the voice.

But as he made the choice, a new word popped into his mind, a label that seemed to associate itself with the call.

_Mayumi…_


End file.
